Unraveling
by Dalton Mars
Summary: Harry Potter died that night along with his parents. People celebrated the Potters as heroes for defeating Voldemort. So what happens when Harry shows up as a first year student at Hogwarts? Things reveal themselves and so does Harry when things take an ugly turn. Trained, powerful and in complete control he will do whatever is necessary.
1. Chapter 1

He opened his eyes to find him looking at him. "Are you alright?" he asked.

"I am fine," he replied, smiling a little sad. "Do you know what day it is?"

"I don't," he replied. "What day is it?"

His master took out the letter and gave it to him. Harry took it, looked at his name and opened the envelope to read the content. "Am I ready?" he asked, looking back at his master. "Bart, am I ready?"

He smiled, his master. "I'm afraid you're not," he said. "But most of your training has been completed. But still it is the most basic and most important things that you are yet to learn."

"What are those things?" he asked.

"Vigilance, trust, friendship and most of all control of your own self," Bart said. "These are the things you will need to learn as you go out into the world. You've been kept away from it for all these years because these things that you learnt from me were important to serve the task. Now it's time for you to go out there and live your life. Always remember that while the time for your objective has not come as of yet but you have to keep a look out for anything that might hinder it."

Harry looked at Bart then at the letter that was in his hand. "They're gonna know that I am alive."

"They are," Bart said, "and that is fine. It is the human nature to be surprised knowing things they think isn't possible so you have to be patient with them. Out there is a whole new world that you are going to step into so I would like you to take your time and learn things because society is a complicated mess. Sometimes you might think of something that is right but it might not work out. You have to be observant and always keep a look out for anything out of the normal. It will take some time for you to get adjusted amongst the crowd but always remember that with what your history has been it will be difficult for others to accept you for a while. So, don't lose patience and let it go how it is going. Eventually they will come around."

"Where will you be?" Harry asked.

"I will be here, just like I am now," Bart said. "But you will now have a new life to live. Here," he said, handing him a closed envelope. "Take this to Gringotts at Diagon Alley. Ask for Wylan. Give this to him and he will handle things from there."

"What is it?" Harry asked.

"Some things that you own, Harry," Bart said. "Now, do you remember all the instructions?" Harry nodded. "Do you have your wand with you?" Harry nodded. "What are you supposed to do with it?"

"Keep it hidden until I absolutely need it," Harry replied.

"Good," Bart said. "We have a week to get you ready for Hogwarts. Shall we head down to Diagon Alley for some shopping?"

"Will I be alright?" Harry asked.

"This is why I am going with you as it is your first time," Bart said. "Do you remember the spell to change your appearance?"

Harry nodded as he waved his hand and wand in a combination to change his face. The scar was still there so Bart applied some muggle makeup to hide it as no magic worked on the scar. Harry and Bart, both knew why. It was a hard truth which they had to deal with until the right moment came.

As Harry and Bart got off the muggle bus transport he saw they were heading towards a dingy and rickety old pub. Harry had been to the muggle world before but never a magical one and there was a good reason why. He had a huge facial resemblance of his father and some people might get to recognize him even though it was official a very long time ago that Harry Potter, the son of James and Lily Potter had been murdered by Voldemort eleven years ago. That wasn't news that would generate a lot of hype though as many were killed by Voldemort and his band of death eaters but what made Harry's case different was the fact that something had happened that night at Potter Cottage which followed a huge explosion, taking out the entire place. Among the people dead in that explosion was also Voldemort whose half decapitated body was found lying on the streets by the aurors.

The reporters spared no chance in grabbing pictures of Voldemort's decapitated or rather blown up body and the next day it was official that Voldemort was dead. Rumor went around that the Potters somehow knew he was coming for them and so they laid down a trap which triggered the explosion of the entire place taking out Voldemort with it. This sacrificing move had made the Potters a hero in the magical world and so Harry knew how difficult it would be if people were to know that he was still alive.

They both entered the pub and Bart ignored everyone as they ignored him like any normal day. Everyone was on about with their own business although Tom, the pub owner, peeked his head up to see who had entered to use his pub's entrance to go to the Alley. Whoever it was must be magical as no muggle could even see this place. It would be weird if they could, to see a dirty old ninety something pub in the middle of a busy London street surrounded by tall modern looking buildings.

Harry followed Bart dutifully as they came to the back of the pub and Bart took out his wand to tap in a certain pattern on the wall in front of them. A moment later it started to move and form an opening like a door. A minute later they were staring at what Harry thought was Diagon Alley. "Shall we?" Bart asked as he looked at his pupil before walking out into the alley. Harry followed him close as he looked around with fascination. Bart was right; the magical society was still stuck way behind in infrastructural growth compared to the muggles. Harry lived in a muggle neighborhood with Bart, posing as grandson and grandfather which was real enough to fool people. He wondered if he would be able to live in a place like this where the development looked decades behind the muggle world.

"Let's go to Gringotts," Bart said. "I will leave you there and until you are done I will have bought your school requirements. Meet me there once you are done, alright?" he said, indicating to Flourish and Botts' Apparels'." Harry nodded as they headed towards Gringotts where he left Harry at the entrance. "Do you remember whom to ask for?"

"Wylan," Harry replied.

"Good," Bart said before leaving him there as Harry entered the bank and his eyes widened with surprise as he looked around. He had never seen goblins in real life. He had only seen them in books and photographs. He had so many things happening inside his head right now but he controlled his thoughts and headed over to the tellers' section and asked for Wylan Hogthorn. The teller told him the direction to his office and a minute later Harry was in the lift going underground into the goblin society. It wasn't long before he reached the desired floor as the liftman told him once more how to go to Wylan's office.

When Wylan heard the knock on his door his magic informed me of his client's subject as he opened the door and let Harry in. the boy was clearly a bit careful as he stepped into the cold yet cozy looking office as he looked around. "You must be Harry," Wylan said.

"You know me?" Harry asked.

"I do," Wylan said. "I was, or rather am, your family vault manager, Harry. Do you have the letter?"

Harry handed him Bart's letter. Wylan opened and read it before nodding his head. "So, shall we get down to business?"

00000

Dumbledore was in his office when someone knocked on the doors. He opened it with a wave of his hand and McGonagall walked in. "Good morning, Minerva," Dumbledore said. "Have all the letters been sent?"

"They have been, Albus," Minerva said. "Did I disturb you? You look like you were going on about something on your own."

"Nothing of that sort," Dumbledore said with a small smile. "I was just thinking that this might've been the year when Young Harry would join us, you know?"

Minerva's face immediately showed the emotions that flooded inside her as she thought about her two favorite students and their son who were all no longer in this world. "It might've been," she said after a moment's pause. "No one remembers their great sacrifice. They all just celebrate it every Halloween night as the night the world got rid of Lord Voldemort."

"The world never remembers toe good for long, Minerva," Dumbledore said. "They will remember the war, their victory but never the people who were sacrificed to achieve that victory. Yes, for some years they would be remembered but not forever. Eventually they are all forgotten."

"Was there anything else you wanted from me?" McGonagall asked.

"Nothing more, Minerva," Dumbledore said. "Has the tour for those muggle families been completed whose children will be joining us this year?"

"It has," she replied. "Every year more and more muggleborns are being recognized as witches and wizards. Pretty soon some pureblood families are going to retaliate to this. You know that, don't you?"

"And I am doing everything in my power to try and prevent it, Minerva," Dumbledore said.

"And what about Fudge?" she asked. "Has he gotten his head out of Lucius' lap?"

"I'm afraid not," he said. "Lucius owns more than half of the ministry's top officials and that include some very powerful and influential pureblood families and members of the Wizengmot body. It won't be long when he manages to get his people or himself into the education board and then it will all be over."

"You are part of the education board," Minerva said. "You can convince them to not be influenced by Lucius."

"It's a whole different thing to convince pureblood members of the education board," he replied. "Lucius knows his way with words and I have to give it to him that it is very effective. Add that to his political and monetary power and he is one man to be reckoned with."

Minerva sighed. "I think the board will understand once they see how promising and hardworking the muggleborn children are," she said.

Albus nodded his head as Minerva stood there for a moment before leaving him alone in his office. He looked outside as he thought about their conversation just now. It was true. More and more muggleborns were turning out to be magical and were being automatically recognized and enrolled in Hogwarts, those who were born in Britain, that is. It scared even him a little to know the fact that some of these muggleborns more powerful than many pure blooded witches and wizards.

But all of that was nothing compared to what he was facing since eleven years ago. It was the first time that his plan had failed and royally if he was to be honest. A year-long worth of plan just shattered when he heard the news of the Potters' death. He himself went to Godric's Hollow to confirm everything. Three burnt bodies, beyond recognition and a sickly decapitated body of Voldemort out on the street surrounded by people ogling at it with both fear and fascination. Not many had seen him from up this close as those who had had ended up mentally snapped or dead.

This year would've been the year when Harry would've come to Hogwarts.

Albus sighed as he looked at the cloudy mountains outside his windows as the first of many raid drops hit his window pane.

00000

"This is mine?" Harry asked still surprised as he looked at the huge mansion in front of him.

"Solely yours," Bart said. "Along with a lot more things. Your family is very old and goes back hundreds of years in the history. That is one of the many reasons why you hold all this wealth and influence both politically and socially. You come from a long line of very powerful witches and wizards Harry, including the first ever magicals called the Pavrells."

"I never knew I was…I was this…" he couldn't say properly as he ogled at the mansion in front of him.

"The wards around the place are keyed to your magic so only you can enter and then allow others to enter," Bart said. "The envelope I gave you contained paperwork and enough evidence to legitimize you as an emancipated individual. It was a lot easier considering the fact that you are the sole heir to your family. Everything that your family ever owned belongs to you now."

"But…But what am I gonna do with all of this?" Harry asked.

"That is up to you,' Bart said. "Just remember to not let this wealth and power succumb you. I've seen people being corrupted by them and it has never turned out good."

"Can I go inside?" Harry asked as Bart smiled and looked at him.

00000

As Griphook came out of the office sneaking using the darkness of the caved path he felt he was being followed. He turned around to find Wylan standing close behind him. "Wy…Wylan," he stammered with surprise and a little fear as he looked at the goblin. "I didn't know you were here."

"What were you doing?" Wylan asked his tone flat and devoid of any emotions.

"No…Nothing," Griphook said. Wylan grabbed him by the neck, keeping him still by the pointy end of his karambit as he used his other hand to snatch away the roll of parchment that Griphook was trying to hind behind him.

"What do we have here?" Wylan said as he opened the roll of parchment, looked at it and then looked at Griphook who was sweating bullets. "Do you know the meaning of this?" Wylan asked. "Not only does it violate your code and conduct of being a responsible Gringotts employee but being a citizen of the goblin nation it also shows you as a betrayer to our king."

"Please! Please, don't inform of me!" Griphook cried.

"If I don't do it then I get branded as a betrayer and then thing won't end well for me or my client," Wylan said. "I am sorry, old friend but I have to carry out my duties as a responsible goblin citizen and an honest Gringotts employee."

00000

Lucius entered his home office and sighed as he dropped himself heavily on the armchair. He had just been to the ministry to pay Fudge an amount for this month. Paying that fool was turning out to be more and more costly but it had to be done. Keeping the minister of magic in his pocket had its own perks and advantages with one of them being that Lucius and his close friends weren't in Azkaban for being branded as death eaters. It had taken some convincing from their side but when he had come to know that who was going to be the next minister of magic after Bagnold it was easy to make it look like a robbery gone wrong when the aurors found Bagnold murdered in her own house. The minster's death had caused a ripple of events one of which was the temporary suspension of all cases including the ones being handled by the Wizengmot until the appointment of a new minister, who was Fudge.

Once he had taken the office it wasn't hard to take things in their control as Lucius paid Fudge a visit who welcomed his old 'friend' with a warm hug and had shots of fire whiskey in his office. The alcohol and Lucius' ways with his words and his deep pockets were more than enough to pull Fudge to his side as the new minister gave his word to get Lucius and his friends out of the clutches of the ongoing Wizengmot case. The fact that some other members of the Wizengmot were also in Lucius' pockets also helped to his cause as in not more than the three next meetings his and his friends' names had been cleared off from the list of possible death eaters and Lucius was a happy man. Although, it did require for him to pay the minister every month but it was worth it. Anything was better than to serve sentence at Azkaban.

As he massaged his head to relieve some of the stress the door to his office opened and he opened one eye to see it was his son who came running towards him and stood like a good and responsible young man his father and mother were making him to be. He then took out his new wand from the holster tied on his wrist as he showed it to his father.

"Which one is it?" Lucius asked as he looked at the wand, twirling it between his fingers.

"Black oak dragon heartstring," Draco said proudly.

Lucius smirked. Same core as his but a different harder wood. "It is nice," Lucius said. "Did you practice with it? How does it work?"

"Really well," Draco said. "Now you see, father. I will make you proud with this wand."

Lucius smiled as he sat up straighter and looked at his son before placing his hands on his shoulders and looking him in the eyes as he came close to his face. "Always remember that it is you who holds the real power and not the wand," he said, looking at his son. "The wand is just a means to direct your emotions and magic. Don't let it control you. You have to be the one to control it. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Father," Draco said with a proud smile. Lucius patted his son's shoulder indicating the young boy that it was time to leave his father alone.

Lucius watched his son leave the office as he thought about what would've happened if the dark lord had still been around. Draco would've grown up in a whole different environment than he had been and who knows it would've ended up a lot worse than that. Everyone but Peter was convinced that the dark lord had gone. There was factual evidence but that rat was unacceptable to it. A few years later he left them all and went away who knows where.

00000

"Are you ready?" Bart asked.

"I am," Harry said, patting his pocket which had his trunk in it.

Bart nodded as he changed his appearance to a younger looking version of himself, accurate for someone to recognize him as Harry's uncle or some close relative as Harry smiled at his master. They then apparated straight to the magical side of the King's Cross Station where Harry saw, for the first time the scarlet engine and his face said enough that he had already fallen in love with this thing. "Well, she is a beauty after all," Bart said. "Come on, let's find you a seat."

Harry walked beside Bart as they crossed the platform's length looking for an empty compartment when Harry heard some middle aged woman screeching at the top of her lungs at two twins who looked a couple years older than him. As he looked at them they looked at him when one of them winked at Harry making him look in front of him straight ahead.

"Ah, this would do just fine," Bart said as he found an empty compartment and got in followed by Harry. Entering the compartment they un-shrank Harry's trunk and other belongings which included a muggle backpack and pushed it under the seat. He hung the backpack to a hook that was provided above the window before settling down. "So, I guess this is it," Bart said, sitting down on the opposite seat and looking around the compartment and outside before finally looking at Harry. "Do you have the mirror?" he asked.

"Right here," Harry said, showing him the mirror that was in his backpack.

"Now, I know this is on short notice but there is a reason I wanted to you get emancipated and not because your family needs it…the Potter name, I mean but there is something else," Bart said.

"What is it?" Harry asked when someone opened the compartment door and a girl entered. She stopped suddenly as she looked at the man and the boy sitting in. a minute later a couple came and looked inside from the outside.

"Is everything alright?" the man asked as he looked at the man sitting inside the compartment.

"Oh, yeah, everything's fine," Bart said as he stood up. "I was just saying my nephew goodbye." The man and woman smiled as Bart looked at Harry and nodded. "Write me once you reach Hogwarts. We'll talk after that." Harry nodded as Bart left the compartment and got off the train, coming to where the couple stood outside the compartment.

The girl looked around nervously as Harry stood up. "Would you like to sit?" he asked, offering her the seat opposite to him. The girl just walked over to the seat, pushed her trunk under it and sat down, looking outside the window at her parents.

"Take care of yourself," the woman said as her eyes went wet.

"I will, mum," the girl replied. "You don't have to cry."

"Who would've thought that our girl would turn out to be a witch!" the man said.

"So you guys are muggles?" Bart asked as he looked at the couple.

"We are, however weird that term might sound but year," the man said. "Are you a wizard?"

"I am but I and my nephew live in a muggle neighborhood," Bart said. "I am a half blood."

"What does that mean?" the man asked.

"It means that one of my parents, my father was a muggle. My mom was a witch," Bart said. The couple nodded. "You don't have to worry, though. I went to Hogwarts just like my mother and just like Harry's parents," he said, pointing at Harry who was already talking to the girl. "Looks like they're already friends. That's a good thing. It's always a good thing to make friends when going at new places."

I guess you are right," the woman said. "Oh, where are our manners. My name is Dr Emma Granger and this is my husband Dr Dan."

"My name is Bartholomew Byron but people call me Bart," Bart said. "What kind of doctors are you?" he asked.

"Oh, we are dentists," Dan said, shaking the man's hand. "We have our practice at Surrey."

"That's good," Bart said as he sighed and looked inside the compartment. "So, always hard to see your child leave you to go away."

"You have no idea," Emma said. "We never thought that our Hermione would turn out to be a witch. We only came to know when she was eight years old. One day she can't find her favorite bunny toy and magically throws off a lamp at the wall. Dan was there to witness it."

"She didn't believe me when I said Hermione magically threw a lamp at the wall," Dan said. "So what's your story?"

Bart smiled as he looked at Harry. "Well, my nephew's name is Harry and he lost his parents when he was one."

"Or, lord," Emma said as she covered her mouth with her hand as she looked at Harry who was happily talking with Hermione.

"We are so sorry to hear that," Dan said.

Bart nodded. "Well, I became his guardian. It gave me an experience as I never had a kid of my own only because I never found someone to spend my life with but now with Harry I don't need anyone else. He is everything to me and nothing would make me happier to watch him grow into a fine young man."

"You would be a great uncle to him," Emma said, placing her hand on his shoulder as Dan patted his back when the train blew its whistle and the three of them looked inside. The two kids looked at the adults as the train started to move and goodbyes were shared with waving hands as the train left the station and then vanished leaving a cloud of steam.

"Would you like to have teak with us?" Dan asked looking at Bart. "If you don't mind?"

"Would it be alright with you two?" Bart asked.

"It will be our pleasure," Emma said. "We already took leave for the rest of the day so we have nothing else to do. Maybe we all should get to know each other better. Our kids are friends already. Perhaps we should be, too."

Bart smiled as he nodded. "I would love to have tea with you two."

00000

"So, did you learn any magic?" Hermione asked.

"Only a few basic spells like simple repairing spells and cleaning spells," Harry replied.

"I've already gone over half of this year's curriculum," Hermione said.

"That's amazing!" Harry said.

"Really?" she asked.

"Yeah, what's wrong?" he asked.

"Well, most children don't like it when I tell them about something I've read," Hermione said.

"Well, I don't know about them but to me that shows your intelligence," he said. She looked at him with a huge smile. "So, half already? That should mean that you can do the unlocking and locking spells?"

She nodded her head as she pulled out her trunk and pointing her wand said the spell. The lock unlocked. She then used the counter spell and the trunk was locked again.

"That is amazing," Harry said.

"Let's see what you can do," she said.

Harry smiled as he looked around when he found a little tear on the seat he was sitting on. "Watch this," he said as he pointed his wand at the hole and cast the spell. The hole repaired itself like it was new. Hermione clapped once as she marveled at the cast.

"You seem to have a much better control at your magic," she said.

"My uncle taught me some basic concepts before," he said.

"If your uncle is a wizard then why didn't he teach you more spells?" she asked.

"There are two reasons behind that," Harry said. "The first reason is my core isn't that developed to cast many complicated and powerful magic and the second is he wanted me to learn most of it at Hogwarts. He said it's part of living the life of a wizard and I agree. Learning things amongst my own peers would help me more than what my uncle could've taught me." Hermione nodded when their compartment door opened and the trolley lady came in. "You want anything?" he asked, looking at Hermione.

"No, thanks," she said. "Parents are dentist and I don't have much of a sweet tooth myself."

Harry nodded and bought some candies before closing the door.

"I don't mean to prude but what is that scar of?" she asked, looking at Harry.

"Oh, it's just from an old accident," Harry said. "My uncle was showing me his aiming when one of the spells bounced off and hit me."

"How bad was it?" she asked, genuinely worried.

"It wasn't that bad," Harry said. "It was just a lightly powered cutting hex, nothing too serious. But since it was a magical spell the scar has still not gone away."

"But aren't there magical healing techniques to remove the scars?" she asked.

"There are," Harry said, "but since we live in a muggle neighborhood and my uncle wants us to have as muggle a life as we can just healing of the wound is enough for us. He said I can use magical potions to remove the scar as that's up to me."

They both talked for a little while before going on about their businesses. Hermione took out a book about Hogwarts while Harry took out a muggle novel about a detective story. Nearing the Hogsmead station they each took turns changing into the uniform before getting ready to get off as the train slowed down at the station and came to a stop.

They both got off the train as they heard someone calling the first years. They saw a huge man whom Hermione had seemed to have recognized. "That's Hagrid," she said. "He came with professor McGonagall to the tour she gave me and my parents of the Diagon Alley. Come on!"

Harry followed her over to the huge man where many other first years seemed to have gathered they were then taken over to the Black Lake from where they all took boats. Harry and Hermione shared their boat with Neville as they were the last ones to be on board.

The moon and stars reflected beautifully in the dark waters of the lake as they marveled at its beauty when the castle emerged to them.

Half an hour later they were waiting outside the great hall where McGonagall gave them the regular 'house and family' speech after which they were lead into the great hall. All the other students and faculties enjoyed this moment when the first years would see the castle for the first time and ogle at it's magical beauty. They were all gathered in front of the small stool where the sorting hat was placed as McGonagall started calling names from the list as students walked forward, sat on the stool with the hat being laced on their heads and then being sorted into one of the four houses of Hogwarts.

While McGonagall was a strict professor who had made and maintained a definitive demeanor over her years working at Hogwarts she always enjoyed this part where nervous students would walk up to the stool and wait for the sorting hat to assign them their house for the coming seven years at this place. She was also careful to not let this emotion of hers show on her face like all the others but when she saw that name on the list it was impossible to hide her expressions as she turned and looked at the faculty table or more precisely at Dumbledore who sat up straight as it wasn't always when Minerva McGonagall was surprised and actually showed that expression on her face. Other faculties noticed it too and so did other students who all wondered what could've made her this surprised as she looked back on the list, glanced for a second at the group of remaining first year students before clearing her throat.

"Har…Harry James Potter."

Every single head in the great hall turned towards the small group of first years along with many of those first years who knew that name. they all looked around themselves wondering where Harry was while Harry stood unmoving beside Hermione who also seemed to have a little bit of idea as to what was going on. Although it was recently that she had found out about the Potters and their great sacrifice she would've never thought that it would be her first friend or perhaps the only friend at this place when Harry took a step forward attracting everyone's attention.

People everywhere inside the great hall looked at him as he walked towards the stool beside McGonagall leaving behind shocked and open-mouthed expression on everyone's faces. McGonagall could not hide her own expression of shock and surprise as she watched the boy slowly sit on the stool. Out of habit her hand which held the sorting hat moved over to Harry's head where she placed it as the hat moved a little, settling a bit more comfortable on Harry's head as everyone's eyes glued on the boy.

There were many questions in everyone's minds; a few particular ones were a bit more anxious and curious as they watched the boy sit on the stool with the hat on his head. For that moment they all ignored everything they had in their heads regarding this shocking revelation as everyone wondered which house the hat will put Harry Potter in.

Hermione sat at the Gryffindor table beside Neville as she looked at Harry who had his eyes closed for over two minutes now. It was the longest the hat had taken tonight while sorting students to different houses when he finally opened his eyes and the hat moved as well.

"Well if that is what you think is right," the hat said. "SLYTHERIN!"

**00000**

**A/N; Thanks for reading…**


	2. Chapter 2

Silence.

That was all that could be heard. It was so quiet that it became uncomfortable staying in that silence after a while as everyone's eyes were fixed on Harry Potter. There were two reasons behind it. The first one was that apparently he had come back from the dead. And the second reason was that the sorting hat had just put him in the house of snakes. Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Gryffindor all three houses glanced at the Slytherin table where students seemed surprised just like everyone else. The faculties, too, had shocked expressions on their faces so when Dumbledore stood up from his seat and cleared his throat to get everyone's attention that sound echoed inside the completely filled great hall.

"It seems we have amongst ourselves a student we never thought would be here," Dumbledore said. "This has been a shocking revelation to us all to see you here, Harry. Perhaps it would be best if the sorting was completed first?" McGonagall nodded looking at Albus before clearing her throat and removing the hat off of Harry who then stood up and slowly walked towards the Slytherin table, avoiding everyone's eyes. He sat beside another first year, placed both his hands on the table and kept looking at it while everyone's eyes were affixed on him.

"Abbot, Hanna," McGonagall called another name bringing everyone's attention back to the sorting as the remaining first year students started to get sorted out. Twenty or so minutes later the sorting was finally completed and everyone had settled when Dumbledore stood up once more, welcomed everyone to the start of the new term and allowed the feast to begin.

Everyone ate because they were hungry and tired from the eight hour long journey but it wouldn't stop them from stealing a glance towards Harry from time to time who kept his mind calm and focused on his food, taking sips from the soup that was in front of him.

Hermione looked at her first ever friend with concerned eyes, wondering how he was feeling. She had read about the great sacrifice that the Potters had made eleven years ago on the night of Halloween which had resulted in Voldemort's demise and the magical community being freed from his terror. She could not believe like everyone else that Harry was actually alive. He had shared the compartment with her for the entire journey from London to Hogwarts and not once she had expected him to be who he really was even though he had told her his name. Although just his first name but still it would've been more than enough for her to figure it out.

"You said you shared a compartment with him today?" Neville whispered slowly to her. Hermione nodded.

"I wonder how he is feeling right now," she said.

"Do you think he did it on purpose?" Neville asked. "You know, hiding the fact that he was alive?"

"I don't know, Neville," Hermione said. "I only know whatever I've read about him and that's it."

"Sorry," Neville apologized before focusing on his food.

"Why is he sorted in the house of the snakes?" Hermione looked up to her right at a red haired boy sitting a few students apart from her whom she had already noticed when she had been sorted in Gryffindor as he was shoving food in his mouth. "Harry Potter should be a Gryffindor!"

"You cannot fight the logic of the sorting hat, Ronnikins," one of the twins said. "Besides, what's bad that he's been sorted in Slytherin?"

"What's bad?" Ron said. "His family vanquished you-know-who and now he's been sorted in Slytherin, the very house that houses the children of death eaters and criminals!"

"I will pretend that I didn't hear that," Fred, his elder brother said.

"Yeah," George, the other twin said. "We have our differences with the snakes but that doesn't mean everyone in that house is an enemy to us."

"So now you are taking sides with the snakes?" Ron asked.

Hermione rolled her eyes as she ignored the rest of the conversation and focused on her food. She was pretty hungry and tired from her journey and wanted to head to bed as soon as possible. The feast went on for another hour and half after which all the plates automatically disappeared. Everyone but a certain red head had not eaten and his sad moan was heard when all the plates disappeared from the tables.

"Noooo! I didn't have enough!" Ron had cried when his plate had disappeared just as he was about to take another multiple bites at once.

"Your brother ate food enough for six to eight people and he's still hungry?" Katy, Fred and George's classmate said looking disgustingly at Ron who was still sad over his missed bites of food. He had his face down the nose completely smeared with food with some also dropped on the table where he was eating causing others to move a bit away from him as he also talked who knows what with his mouth filled with food.

"He's adopted," Fred said.

"He is," George agreed looking at Ron with narrowed eyes. "We never wanted him but mum and dad were pretty adamant."

Katy just laughed at their antics before shaking her head and getting up. The prefects were instructed to lead the first years to their respective towers along with the common rooms and the dormitories. Harry accompanied other first years of his house and walked a bit farther from them all only because no one wanted to be beside him. He even received some angry looks from some of the senior students which he knew why. When he had been sorted into the Slytherin house he knew that moment on that his life wouldn't be that easy. Children of many death eaters were members of Slytherin house and since he and his parents were seen as vanquishers of Voldemort it made sense that they'd all be pretty angry with him.

He looked at the Gryffindor first year group walking behind him as the lions and the snakes had their house towers side-by-side. He saw Hermione walking with a round faced boy when she looked up at him. He wanted to smile at her but she had a neutral look on her face. Also there was the look of betrayal which he recognized. He would explain it to her at the first chance he got as he promised himself that inside his head as they headed to the dungeons while the Gryffindors parted ways with them.

"Blood pride!" the prefect said and the huge boulder closing the path moved with a low rumble. "Remember the password," the prefect said, looking at the first years. "Because if you forget it then you'll not be able to go in. you'll have to wait for someone to come and say the password or for the passage to be opened from the inside. The password changes twice every month so keep an eye on the noticeboard. Remember that you have been given the privilege of being members of the greatest of the four houses of Hogwarts. We Slytherins take pride in our purity and magic unlike the other three houses. Although it looks like the hat made an exception this year."

Harry saw the prefect come up to him and look at him with the most intimidating way he could manage. Harry tried to not laugh because that would create scenarios and situations he didn't want to waste his time on. "We have the great Harry Potter in house!" the prefect said, gathering everyone's attention as every Slytherin in the common room at that time stopped their work to look at him. "Well, I shouldn't be surprised as the hat is certainly getting old. It is supposed to make mistakes so we will let it slide…" he leaned towards Harry and looked him in the eyes, "…but not you, Potter!"

Draco Malfoy was a proud son of Lucius who always had this idea in his head that his father would fix everything for him but he knew better than to ask his father for something the moment he had gotten into Hogwarts. He looked at Harry, examining the boy from top to bottom and his familial teachings told him one thing about the boy that was enough for Draco to know that it would be best to not mess with Harry. So he took a step forward, his Slytherin mind already planning strategies in his head as he came and stood beside Harry, looking at the prefect with twice the intimidation the senior could ever hope to muster.

"Let's back off for now, shall we, Mick?" Draco said, staring daggers at the fifth year, "or would you like to explain to my father why you went on to ruin my first night at Hogwarts?"

"You think I will be scared of you, Malfoy?" the prefect, Mick said.

"No, but I think you should as your whole family does," Draco said. Mick's face twitched in anger but he didn't do anything. "Don't tell me you forgot the debt your family owns to my father just like every other member of this house. Now I know that is a lot of debts that you all have but I think father wouldn't mind if asked him to handle some of the families of the students present here. Maybe I'll choose yours."

Mick stepped back but never left his eyes off of Draco. "Don't go on enjoying things because of your father's works, Malfoy," Mick said. "A first year like you can never hope to win against me in a duel."

Draco smirked. "Would you like to try?" he said as he already had his wand in his hand with a spell ready that dangerously sparked at the tip of his wand. Those who knew that spell knew what damage it could do and no one would rat out Draco simply because of his father. There was just so much respect for Draco's father amongst the families of Slytherin students. Everyone knew that and so it was already decided that for the seven years Draco was here at Hogwarts he would be receiving services worthy of someone very important, which he was because of his father.

Mick gulped down as he felt the intimidation weighing down on him. However, before he could say anything the common room door opened and Snape walked in. Everyone scattered, going on about their businesses while all the first years gathered in a small group. Snape looked at them until his eyes stopped on Harry. He looked at the boy and something inside him moved. He had her eyes but unfortunately he also had his father's face.

"As your house head I, Professor Severus Snape would like to welcome you first years to the Slytherin house," he said in his monotonous tone looking uninterestingly at everyone. "As your house head I expect you all to follow a code of conduct where you will, in any manner whatsoever, ruin the name of your house and/or give anyone a chance to lose house points. My other students have successfully managed their long run of making this house the best annual house every year and I will not have you break that chain of tradition. You do that and you will see me before any other faculty. Always remember that."

And with that he was out of the common room. Harry looked at the door from where Snape had gone. He knew who Snape was in all clarity. He also knew Snape's feelings for his late mother. The man clearly loved Harry's mother and Harry thought of that as something beautiful only because Snape had realized his mistake the moment he had told Voldemort half of the prophecy out of jealousy towards Harry's father and had went to Dumbledore to try and undo his mistake and pay penance by serving as spies for both the sides.

"Mick can be a pain sometimes." Harry turned to see it was Draco as the blond haired boy came and stood beside him. "So, not actually dead huh? My name is Draco Malfoy. It is nice to meet you." Harry shook his hand. "Well, like I said, you don't have to worry about anything here Harry. You have any problems with any of these students, anyone from other houses you tell me and I will take care of it."

Harry nodded. "It is nice to meet you, Draco," he said. "If you don't mind, I am really tired and we have classes starting tomorrow morning."

"Yeah, sure!" Draco said. "We share the same dorm so let's go together."

00000

Ron was furiously writing a letter. It had been perhaps the first time that he was writing anything at such a speed although there were more mistakes than the hairs on his brows but like he would care. Add to that his bad handwriting it served as a sort of security that no one but his mother could read his letter. And to his mother he was writing that letter. This was huge news. Harry Potter was not dead and a student in his year. The only problem was that he had been sorted in Slytherin and Ron didn't know what to do about that.

Finishing the letter after finally scribbling the last few letters he almost tore it as he hurried down the owlery to send it to his mother. He was smart this time to not choose his family owl or who knows where that stupid owl will take that letter. He chose a Hogwarts owl and tying the letter on its leg let it fly away in the darkness of the night. Hopefully by tomorrow he would receive a reply and also know what he needed to do. He hoped his mother would be happy for him informing her about this new discovery and send him more candies with the letter. He couldn't wait as he already had started to dream about those candies and drooled on the ledge of the window when the cold current of the wind brought him back to the resent. He shivered as he headed back to the Gryffindor tower, stopping to glance at the corridor that led to the dungeons.

"Maybe things won't go as bad as I am making it seem to be," he muttered to himself before heading towards his common room.

00000

Albus Dumbledore was sitting in his chair, staring at the shelves across his office on the opposite wall where a set of silver trinkets were kept, none working. Each one was tied to Harry's magic indicating different things about the boy like his emotional state, his core strength, his life force…none worked anymore. They had stopped working the night Voldemort had attacked the Potters. When Dumbledore had gone over to the place to see the scene himself he saw three completely burnt out bodies, one of which resemble a toddler. He checked using his magic. Potters were no longer alive. What had shocked Dumbledore to the core that night was that his long and detailed plan had come crashing down realizing Harry was no longer alive. How would things go on from now?

And now he was here. Eleven years later he had revealed himself and something about it bothered Albus and he knew he should be bothered by the fact that Harry was alive. Just eleven years old Dumbledore wondered where the boy had lived these eleven years. Several ideas formed inside his head but Albus ignored them all.

"Where were you, Harry," he muttered to himself as he stroked his hair. He had already sent a letter to Griphook knowing that if Harry was now in Hogwarts he definitely would've gone to Gringotts to get some money. Griphook must know some things about that. Why wouldn't that goblin tell him anything before then?

The letters were sent a week before the new term's initiation so Harry must've had a week to prepare and get his school supplies. He would, at least go to Gringotts a day before coming to Hogwarts and that would still give Griphook enough time to send Albus a letter informing him about the boy.

As he thought about the ongoing situation he couldn't help forget the fact that the boy had the scar on his forehead. The shape of lightning bolt one doesn't get that type of scar randomly. Add to it the fact that the hat had sorted him in Slytherin. Albus sighed as he realized it had all come down stumbling hard as he saw his plans fall down inside his head. "No!" he muttered to himself. He had to find a way to get things back in control. Severus would serve good in this situation. The potions master owed him to a great deal. But that would not be enough. In Slytherin Dumbledore knew he didn't have much supporters or even students of allies. Slytherin was a whole uncharted territory for him and that gave him the disadvantage of not being able to keep a continuous eye on Harry.

Severus would keep an eye on the boy but not all the time.

Perhaps tomorrow would be a good time to call Harry and talk to him about some things. Dumbledore knew the boy would understand considering the fact that he knew coming back from the dead was bound to attract attentions. If Harry knew that then he would surely answer some of his questions.

Albus leaned comfortably on his throne chair as he stared at the full moon outside the window. Tonight was a clear night with howls of werewolves being heard in the forbidden forest. Things had not started to his favor this year and Albus had to change it so it doesn't repeat itself. Everything will be decided tomorrow so all he had to do tonight was try to have peaceful sleep which he knew he wouldn't get. His mind was racing with things related to today's happenings and all his occlumency skills were proving worthless. He pulled open his drawer under his desk and took out a small vial of dreamless sleep potion. Opening the stopper he gulped down the tasteless liquid down his throat before standing up and going to his quarters for the remaining of the night.

Hopefully, things would change tomorrow.

**00000**

**A/N: Thanks for reading…**


	3. Chapter 3

Harry walked down the corridor, looking out at the school grounds as fog still covered most of the land. It had rained last night and so it was a little cold today. It was around seven am in the morning and Harry had woken up pretty early and when he had gotten to the common room he had found Snape there waiting for him who told him that Dumbledore was expecting him. If Harry didn't have to lie to himself he'd think that Snape had been in the common room for the entire night. He shoved that thought aside as he left the dungeons and headed for the headmaster's office wearing an extra full sleeved shirt as it was cold outside, not that it mattered much as the dungeons, being underground and even deeper than the black lake was always cold.

Harry knew the thing she had to do before entering the office because the man wasn't trustworthy. So he assembled his thoughts, randomly spread them inside his head like any eleven year student's memories would look like and then he hid the important memories and information deep inside his head protecting it with several layers of occlumency shields. Even Dumbledore wouldn't be able to figure out that in the midst of the scattered memories of the eleven year old boy laid a treasure trove of memories that the old man would kill to have.

He didn't have to knock as the huge doors to Dumbledore's office opened themselves the moment Harry came near them. He stopped, looked inside. It was nothing but grand and looked what he imagined would be the personal space for the Queen of England.

"Come in, Harry," Dumbledore said when Harry saw him standing by the window on the side. Harry walked in carefully as the door behind him closed quietly. "Have a seat." Harry walked over to Dumbledore's desk and sat on the opposite side as Dumbledore sat on this throne chair. He looked at the boy while Harry looked at him with a nervous yet curious look.

"Why am I here, headmaster?" Harry asked.

"I think perhaps you might have some ideas, Harry," Dumbledore said calmly as he pushed his bowl of lemon drops towards the boy who shook his head. "Did you know why everyone was shocked to see you here last night?"

"I might have an idea," Harry said.

"Which is?" Dumbledore said. He wanted to let the boy tell whatever he thought would be right and after that Dumbledore would choose his words wisely. There might still be some hope left for the boy.

Harry took a moment before taking in a few breathes. "I found out that I am a wizard on my eighth birthday," he said, working his ways through what he had heard Hermione's parents speak that day. "I asked my uncle about the weird things that had started to happen to me from then on and he made me sit down and explain it to me about how my parents were magical people and so it would make sense that I am one as well."

"Your uncle?" Dumbledore asked. Harry nodded. "Who is this uncle that you speak of?"

"My mother's cousin," Harry said.

Dumbledore lay back on his chair. He didn't know Lily had any relatives other than her sister alive. Well she might've but if he remembered correctly then she also had a blood sister and according to the muggle laws Harry should've gone over to Petunia but first he had to know something else.

"Harry, do you know anything about what actually happened that night…you know…if you don't mind me asking?" he asked.

"Are you asking me about that night?" Harry asked.

"I'm afraid so, Harry," Dumbledore said. "I know this might be hard for you but I need you to try."

"I'm sorry, headmaster," Harry said. "I can't do it. Every time I try to remember it I don't feel well."

Dumbledore sighed. 'So more time then,' he thought. "It's alright, Harry," he said. "I wouldn't force you." A pause. "Do you know that your mother has a sister? An elder sister named Petunia?"

Harry nodded slowly.

"If you can, do you know why the muggle authorities didn't take you to her place and to your mother's cousin?" Dumbledore asked.

"They did," Harry said. "But she wouldn't want me. From what my uncle told me she and her husband said they didn't want to do anything with me because I was a freak. I didn't know what that meant until my uncle told me that by freak she meant be being a wizard. My uncle stepped up at that time and so seeing no other close relatives the authorities gave him my guardianship."

"I see," Dumbledore said, nodding. He wanted to ask how Harry had been saved that night but the boy was clearly still traumatized from the memories of that night, well whatever he could remember and so Dumbledore didn't want to rush it. Harry was at Hogwarts and that was more than anything for Dumbledore right now. He would take his time with the boy to mold him into the boy that his destiny needed him to be. For now all that mattered was that the boy was here.

"I would like you to be careful, Harry," Dumbledore said.

"What do you mean headmaster?" Harry asked.

"I hate to bring up your parents because I know it hurts you whenever someone or you think or talk about them," Dumbledore said, "but your parents played a very important role in the apparent demise of Lord Voldemort. Do you know who that is?" Harry nodded. "Well, because of what your parents did to him Voldemort's followers aren't happy about it and the house where you were sorted in last night houses children of many of those followers. I suppose the news of you being alive would've reached far by now and you can expect a big article about it in today's Prophet when those arrive at breakfast. I just want you to keep a lookout for anything suspicious inside your house."

"I will, headmaster," Harry said. "Anything more?"

"Not for now, Harry," Dumbledore said. "You may go."

Harry nodded, stood up and walked towards the door. He opened it and walked out as Dumbledore looked at the young boy go. He felt no maliciousness inside the boy and neither any hidden agenda. Harry's mind was like any other eleven year old, unorganized and unprotected. He had come up with a plan, however but wondered if those he needed to be in it would actually turn out to be cooperative. Well, a little nudge wouldn't hurt anyone.

00000

Breakfast was a busy affair especially since it was the first working day of Hogwarts' new term. Everyone was filling in their plates, chatting and looking at their schedule for that day when the post owls started arriving. Each one of them had a copy for the day's prophet which they dropped to whoever had subscription to the media while others received their letters. There were a lot of letters as well.

Harry looked at the flying owls as he sat in a corner a little away from his house mates while eating a toast. He looked around. Everyone was busy with their letters and papers when after about ten minutes people started to look at him once more. Students from his own house were looking at him a Harry tried to ignore them all. Draco stood up from his little group of first year Slytherins and walked over to Harry, sitting beside him with his copy of the Prophet.

"Looks like you made it to the headlines," he said, showing Harry the front page where in huge black letter was printed 'HARRY POTTER – ALIVE!' Clearly Harry ignored the paper as Draco looked at him a bit surprised. "You don't want to know what they wrote about you?" he asked.

"Not really," Harry said, taking a bite off of his toast. "The Prophet is a biased news media that prints article that would benefit its marketing. I am sure whatever is printed here the Prophet got last night by a bunch of students currently sitting here reading it. What could they have sent to the Prophet about me? I know it people are making a big deal about me apparently being alive but there's nothing here but speculations made by whoever wrote this article. As far as what its concern is about me all I can say is that I know myself better than this reporter who wrote this article so yes, I am not at all interested in this article about me. Looks like others are, though."

Draco looked at Harry a little surprised. He hadn't met anyone who wouldn't show an excitement towards anything like this. "You really are different," Draco said, folding his copy of the Prophet. "So, looking forward to our first class together? I can't believe we have to share it with a bunch of Gryffin'dorks' there." Harry didn't reply. "Well, I guess charms shouldn't be that bad, huh? Father told me Flitwick used to be a respected wizard back in the day. I wonder what caused him to teach here at Hogwarts when he could've gotten any job he wanted at Gringotts."

"Maybe he wanted to be a teacher," Harry said.

"Seriously?" Draco said as he chuckled.

"If one knows what they have to do in life then it doesn't really matter if they are overqualified for that job," Harry said. "I know professor Flitwick was and is a great wizard and if he wants to teach young witches and wizards then I think that's a good idea. I suppose you can imagine how bad it would be if any un-skilled person would teach us charms, right?"

Draco shivered at that thought. He knew Hogwarts didn't have that great of a faculty group except Snape but he agreed to the fact that there were people worse than who taught here. And with Dumbledore it was possible that that old senile fool would hire anyone like Trelawney to teach here if any teaching post was to be vacated. He knew that there were many out there who wanted to teach at Hogwarts. Not everyone was deserving of the job, at least while he was here. The school could go to hell if he cared at all but only after he had graduated from here.

"You done?" he asked, looking at Harry taking his last bite.

Harry chewed, swallowed and took a few sips of water before sighing. "Now I am," he said, looking at Draco before the two got up and left for their first day of class. Harry didn't miss to look at the Gryffindor table where Hermione saw and smiled at him. Harry smiled back. The Gryffindors shared a lot of classes with the Slytherins so he could always meet her during the classes. He knew the rivalry that existed between the snakes and the lions. He knew it might be ugly if the Slytherins or the Gryffindors saw him being friends with a lion. But like he cared. There was no regulation that said there couldn't be an inter-house relationship between students. Other houses did it all the time like Harry had seen. Only Slytherin was on its own.

Charms was a fun affair as Flitwick made sure the students enjoyed their first class of their first day at Hogwarts. Apart from Seamus Finnegan blowing up his feather almost everyone had successfully floated their feathers.

Although Harry was quite familiar with this spell he really liked Flitwick's way of teaching the students and he himself enjoyed the class. For now Flitwick was his favorite professor.

"If you are so intelligent why don't you do it?"

Harry turned to look at the red haired who was sitting with Hermione and Neville. He wondered what was going on when Hermione cast the charm and made her feather float. She then gracefully let it down, forming a beaming smile on her face as she looked at Harry.

"Wow, congratulations, Hermione," Neville said.

"Thanks," she said, blushing a little.

Ron's face, however, said a different story for the boy as he muttered what Harry could make out as 'stupid know-it-all' that had Hermione feel genuinely sad over the comment. That was it for him as Harry stood up, walked over to their bench and looked at Ron.

"What do you want, snake?" Ron said.

Harry looked at Hermione who was looking down, clearly holding her tears back. "Apologize to her," he said slowly.

"Why do you care so much for?" Ron asked. "Besides, I didn't do anything wrong!"

"Really?" Harry said. "Why don't you ask others who heard you?"

"What?" Ron asked, confused.

Harry rolled his eyes as he looked at Neville. "You were sitting beside him the whole time," he said, looking at the round faced boy. "Tell me what did you hear?"

"He…He said Hermione was stupid and a know…know-it-all," the boy spoke nervously.

"There," Harry said, looking back at Ron. "You have it. Now, apologize."

"I don't know what he's talking about," Ron said, glaring at Neville who quivered under his gaze.

"And now you are eye-threatening him," Harry said.

"What does that even mean?" Ron asked. "First of all you come here accusing me of something I didn't do and now you are only adding to your false accusations. You have no business here, snake!"

"Wow, those heavy word coming from a thick headed person like you," Harry said, smiling a little. "I am impressed.

Hermione chuckled a little causing Ron to glare at her. "What are you laughing about?" he said, scathingly.

"What is going on here?" Flitwick asked, walking up to them.

"Professor, Ron here said Hermione was stupid and a know-it-all just because she successfully did the floating spell to prove Ron wrong," Harry said.

"Is that correct, Mr Weasely?" Flitwick asked.

"Absolutely not!" Ron said. "He's obviously lying!"

"He said it," Neville said, gaining a little courage. Ron glared at him.

"Ms Granger?" Flitwick called for Hermione who looked up. Her eyes were clearly wet although she was holding on to her tears from falling. Flitwick looked at her and then at Ron. "So she is crying for no reason, then?"

"I don't know? She's mental, maybe," Ron said.

"I will not tolerate that kind of behavior again, Mr Weasely," Flitwick said sternly. "Since this is your first time I am not giving you a detention although you will have to write an essay about how students should behave in class. I know that is not a part of your curriculum but you have to learn the importance of the values of your own house mates. You lose ten points for behaving rudely towards Ms Granger…"

"You can't do that!" Ron exclaimed.

"…and five points to you, Ms Granger, for successfully performing the spell," Flitwick said making Hermione smile a little as she sniffed and wiped her tears.

"Ten points to you as well, Mr Potter," Flitwick said, turning towards Harry, "for standing up to a fellow student, not to mention a student from another house. That doesn't happen much here at Hogwarts although I believe it should. Well done and I expect that kind of behavior from every one of you."

"Thank you, professor," Harry said before walking over to his seat beside Draco.

"What did you just do?" Draco asked.

"Helped a friend, of course," Harry replied calmly.

"A lion? Your friend?" Draco asked.

"We met on the express while coming here," Harry said. "I don't care about what others might think but she is my friend and I will stand up for her even though it means that I have to go against my own house mates one day for it. They clearly don't like me anyways."

Draco shook his head. He clearly would have to make sure that no one back in the common room would target Harry as the boy had given them more than enough reasons to be hated and being a target even more, like it wasn't enough before. He wondered what his father thought about it. He hadn't written him back yet but Draco was sure he will soon receive a reply and perhaps further instructions as to what to do.

Other classes went smoothly as well for the rest of the day as the professors did nothing much but explain the concepts of their set curriculums and their expectations towards the students. Snape was a monotonous, uninterested faculty who cared nothing less about anyone although Harry did came to know that the man was clearly biased towards his house's students. No wonder they won the house cup every year as just on the first day of the potions' class he had deducted sixty points from Gryffindor and awarded fifty points to his own house's students. Harry didn't care much about that. He didn't care whether or not his house won or lost the house cup.

McGonagall was a strict faculty as everyone had figured it out the very night they had all arrived at Hogwarts. She had a no-non sense demeanor and a fair character complexity, completely unbiased and totally focused with her duties here at Hogwarts. Binns was someone whom Harry had decided didn't matter much. The ghost was clearly out of his time, teaching them about wrongful facts related to the goblin revolution. He was clearly in hate with their race even in his death.

Pomona Sprout was a fine teacher. She clearly loved her plants and herbs and she clearly was impressed with Neville interest in her subject that on their first day at the class she had given him a separate assignment regarding the subject which he was more than happy to accept.

Henry Logan, their defense professor was a normal guy with his only interest in being completing his daily goals. He was first to explain his teaching methods which he made very clear that all students should follow or else they will be left behind and then he wouldn't be able to help them regarding that.

He had a set of concepts, spells and other things already set to be taught every day and he was really good at that as Harry had figured it out. The man clearly followed his routine and plans to the heart and Harry was quite impressed with that. Logan had turned out to be an okay faculty but not a much promising one as he focused more on completing his daily set of concepts that he had planned for the students ignoring how much they understood and how much they didn't.

With five classes being done they were done for their first day here at Hogwarts. It was already evening and Harry decided he wanted a walk out on the school grounds and some fresh air as he kept his belongings in his dorm and headed out. Draco joined him soon near the great hall while having a late lunch before the two headed outside.

Hermione saw Harry heading out and she quickly went after him. Neville followed her close as she was the only one who'd talk to him in the entire school.

"Harry!" she called to him as he turned to look at her. He smiled as he saw Hermione come towards him.

"Hey, Hermione," Harry said.

"I wanted to thank you for today, what you did for me," she said.

"That's what friends are for," Harry said. "Oh, by the way, meet Draco."

"Hello," Hermione said. Draco pressed his lips forming a tight smile before nodding once slightly towards her. Harry nudged him slightly that made the boy jump a little.

"Hi, my name is Draco Malfoy," he said.

"This is Neville," Hermione introduced them to Neville. "He's a bit shy but I am trying him to open up more to the people."

"Well, you're in good hands, Neville," Harry said, looking at Neville as he extended his hand for a shake. The boy nervously shook his hand saying nothing.

"Well, sorry for bothering you two," Hermione said. "I just wanted to thank you for today, that's all."

"Don't mention it," Harry said. "Would you like to join us? We were just going down the hill."

"Will that be okay?" Hermione asked, looking at Draco who was clearly not impressed by what Harry had suggested right now.

"It will be," Harry said. "Come on. Come, Neville."

And so the four started to head down towards the hilly grassland a little away from Hagrid's hut and headed towards the scattered trees that marked the limits of the school grounds.

"What are you doing?" Draco asked, whispering to Harry.

"Increasing my circle of trust," Harry replied simply.

"What does that mean?" Draco asked, clearly confused.

"Well, since I realized that I wasn't welcomed by my fellow Slytherins I thought that I would expand my circle of trust outside Slytherin," Harry said.

"Do you really think it will work?" Draco asked. "They'd clearly not listen to you, the other houses."

"Why, because I am a Slytherin?" Harry asked. "I am not expecting them to, anyways." Draco looked at him confused. "But they will listen to Harry Potter."

Draco was definitely impressed by what Harry had just said although he didn't let his face show it. This boy really was a Slytherin.

"Besides, I think I can handle myself because from what I've figured out about our own house mates they are mostly talks and nothing more," Harry said. "A little vigilance and a few tricks up my sleeve I can handle them just fine."

"I have to agree with you regarding most of them being incompetent," Draco said. "My father knows most of their parents and he's told me that they are all good for nothing."

"Well, your father has high reach in the ministry so I am sure they all listen to him," Harry said.

"What happened to you, really?" Draco asked, finally breaking his question that was eating him ever since last night when Harry's name was revealed for the first time during the sorting ceremony. "If you don't mind me asking, that is."

Harry didn't say anything for a minute as they continued walking down the hill. Hermione and Neville weren't that far behind them, engaged in their own conversation. Harry carefully waved his hand so that no one would notice as he wordlessly cast a privacy charm around him and Draco. The boy never realized it.

"From what I was told by my uncle," Harry said, "My parents knew they were going to be betrayed by someone they trusted. Seeing that it was too late to do anything, however, they devised a plan and planted a trap around the house…the cottage. They also sent me to my uncle's and planted a fake baby, a magically conjured one in my crib because they knew that Voldemort…" (Draco gasped at Harry mentioning the name) "…wouldn't really care about carefully examining the baby. I don't know why and when I asked my uncle about that even he didn't know. Only my parents did and they never got to tell the story. Anyways, Voldemort came for them and for me as well and he didn't spare a chance. However, my father had planted muggle explosives around the place and keyed them to his core and the wards of the house using runes. The first trigger was when Voldemort brought down the wards of the house and the second one was when he killed them. The explosion was so big and quick that he had no chance of escaping it or shielding himself from it – the beauty of muggle weapons, you see. Everything went out with a huge explosion and from what I've heard Voldemort did try to shield himself but his shield didn't form completely and only covered the bottom half of his body when he was engulfed by the explosion. This is why only the bottom half of his body was found."

Draco looked at him with a shocked expression. "What?" Harry asked. "I told you what I know."

"But what about the magical confirmation?" Draco said. "They said that the aurors confirmed that even you died that night because the burnt baby had your magical signature!"

"Oh, that was an easy part to get to," Harry said with a wave of his hand. "You see, my mother was a very skilled with in the fields of charms and potions. In the later she was even better than professor Snape and if you have your doubts about it you can go and ask Snape about it yourself although he wouldn't like that very much."

"Snape knew your mother?" Draco asked, even more surprised at this than what Harry had told him about his survival before.

"They were neighbors as children and were friends long before they came to Hogwarts," Harry said. "Don't tell him about it though as after her death he's only had bad memories about her, although you can confirm about it from the muggle public records about their residences when they were children. I am sure your father can, for you."

"Wow! I…I never thought that it was like that!" Draco said.

"They were both friends even after being sorted in different houses," Harrys said. "You can ask McGonagall, Flitwick and Pomona about that…the faculties who still taught at that time. I am sure they will happily tell you but again, if only you promise not to tell Snape anything about it."

Draco had no words to speak after hearing that. Friends with Harry's mother – that's now how Draco had imagined Snape to be. Perhaps his father knew something about that. He wondered if it would be the right time to ask him about that.

They spent the rest of the evening by a huge tree after which they decided to head back when the sun went down and the sky went nightly. Draco exchanged some words with Hermione but none with Neville. The boy was so nervous he wouldn't speak unless being asked anything. He wouldn't get himself involved in the conversation voluntarily. Overall it wasn't that bad but wasn't that good either. Harry knew Draco wasn't much happy about it and also that Neville and Hermione had their doubts about Draco, well Neville probably had doubts about Harry as well but Harry thought that it would all go away once they all got to know each other well. It will take time but he will get them there eventually.

Since it was their first day at Hogwarts today every faculty except Snape and Logan had spared them from assignments. Getting inside their common room in the dungeons Harry and Draco were immediate targets to a lot of angry stares however they soon shifted elsewhere when Draco glared at them one of his own. No one wanted to piss off Draco because of who his father was. It was clearly getting on some people's nerves but they couldn't do anything. It seemed as if Potter was to be secluded from Draco's safe parameters and only then would he learn what it means to befriend other house's students especially a Gryffindor.

Harry and Draco sat near the corner of the exceptionally large common room, the largest amongst all four houses as they began their assignments on Defense and Potions. It wasn't much so they had expected to be done by an hour or so. A little revision after that was planned by the two of them for the next day's classes.

"You two are gathering attentions to yourselves."

Harry and Draco looked up to see Daphne Greengrass came up to them. She was with her friend Tracy who stood beside her like her own personal bodyguard. Ever since the first day Harry had got the impression that these two were more like sisters rather than friends although Draco, who knew Daphne's parents because he knew everyone's parents in the Slytherin house, said she also had a younger sister who would start Hogwarts in a couple of years.

"We already know that," Draco said. "We also know that they know what the price is going to be if they decide to do any harm to us."

"They know that, too," Daphne said. "And that is why I am here to tell you," she said, looking at Harry, "to keep a lookout. Divide and conquer is the most basic motto of the Slytherins after blood purity and magical biasness. We aren't simply called the house of clever people. We actually are clever so be careful around the castle. You've already made an impression amongst these people and they don't like it at all. After the stunt you pulled today…talking to the Gryffindors, you really angered some of them very much."

"Thanks for the heads-up," Harry said with a genuine smile as he looked at Daphne. "I would be careful."

"And if they think they can separate us then they have another thing coming," Draco said.

"Don't mean it like you would never leave his side at all," Daphne said. "You two can't always be together, you know."

"She's right," Harry said. "Trust me, Draco. I can take care of myself."

"That I know," Draco said, completely confident in Harry.

Daphne wondered what he meant by that but she didn't stick around to find out. Harry and Draco finished their assignments and left for dinner. Like other times Draco sat with Harry who sat in one corner of the Slytherin house table, away from other students or rather other students sat away from him. He didn't care, though. Draco noticed how Harry checked his food for any additives like potions or anything like that which wasn't meant to be there.

"You are too young to practice that spell," Draco said.

"Does age really matters in magical spell casting?" Harry asked. "As long my core can handle it I can and will cast certain spells without caring that we will be taught those spells in our fourth or fifth year. Being prepared beforehand is never a bad idea."

Draco nodded as they continued eating their food once Harry was sure nothing was mixed in his. On the head table Dumbledore sat and watched the boy casting those detection spells that weren't to be taught at Hogwarts until students were a fifth or sixth year students. And here this first year boy was casting them without any effort. Dumbledore had sent for Griphook today but had learnt that he had recently been given death sentence over betraying the goblin world by stealing classified client information from another goblin. His eyes and ears inside Gringotts were gone and Albus didn't know who to turn to for the next one. In the goblin world they didn't really cared who the minister, supreme Mugwump or chief warlock was. All they cared was that their lists of small demands were kept and they wouldn't bother with magical world and neither the magical world will bother them. It was because of this reason that no media printed what happened in the goblin nation as no information was given out. This was part of the deal they had made after the goblin revolution had ended.

Dumbledore hated that he had come to know about Griphook's death today morning. With him gone he didn't know if Harry had actually went to Gringotts and had done something that would ruin his carefully crafted plan.

Perhaps a visit to the Gringotts was in order as Dumbledore was still his magical guardian…perhaps? He didn't know who this uncle Harry had talked about today morning when he had called the boy to his office. He had sent people to find out but no one had found anything as of yet. He wondered this boy was more than he was letting other people see about him and that worried the old man. He had seen similar tendencies in a student about fifty years ago. He needed to make sure Harry wouldn't turn out like this. Besides, there was the prophecy that needed to be fulfilled.

"So, now you've started to hang out with the Slytherines!" Ron said, spitting food out of his mouth as he came and stood behind Hermione.

Hermione didn't reply. She just covered her food, preventing it from Ron's food bits which had flown out of his mouth when he had spoken. "Leave us alone, Ron," Neville said.

"Oh, look who's talking!" Ron said, looking at Neville who quivered under his glare. Ron smirked. "Like a coward, of course."

"Yes we did," Hermione said, still looking ahead and not towards Ron until she did and stood up, staring close at his face. "We did hang out with a bunch of Slytherins because guess what – they're our friends and I don't care what house they belong to. So you can take your sorry butt out of here before you regret it."

"Or you'll do what? Hit me with a book, know-it-all?" Ron said before he started to laugh as he looked around, looking for people to join him but they didn't, much to his embarrassment.

"Looks like you're alone," Hermione said with a smirk as Neville stood up beside her and looked at Ron with an equal amount of glare the red haired had done before. "Don't ever put your nose in my business. It is my decision whom I wants to be friends with and I don't care if that person is someone you don't like because I don't know you and after seeing this I don't even want to."

Ron had had enough as his palms turned to fists and his face matched the color of his hairs when his two elder twin brother came quickly and grabbed him from both sides. Ron struggled but he clearly couldn't get himself free.

"We are so sorry for his rude behavior," Fred said.

"Like we said before, we think he's adopted," George said.

"I guess we'll have to ask mum about that in the letter tonight, Georgy," Fred said.

"I think we'll have to," George said. "Well, apologies again for our brother's behavior, Ms…"

"Hermione," she said. "Call me Hermione."

"Wow, our brother would really don't like you," Fred said.

"And why's that?" she asked, a little confused.

"Because you're so well-mannered, unlike him," George said before they dragged him away. He could be heard screaming that he didn't eat enough and was hungry but it fell on Fred and George's deaf ears as they ignored him and dragged him out of the great hall. Everyone watched them go while those who knew the twins couldn't hide away their smiles.

"The boy clearly has made some changes just by appearing," Snape muttered to Dumbledore.

"He certainly has, Severus," Albus said. "If it was another student Ms Granger had talked to the whole of Gryffindor would've had problems with her. Clearly they wanted Harry in their house. Do you really think the hat didn't make a mistake?"

"The hat never makes mistakes, Albus," Snape said. "Godric Gryffindor made that hat. It is not supposed to make mistakes. At least that's what we've been told since we came to know about the hat the first time."

"We did," Dumbledore said, stroking his hair as he looked at Harry conversing with Draco. That boy's influence would be toxic for Harry. Snape had already told him that Draco was actually looking out for Harry inside Slytherin dungeons. That boy was like his father and wouldn't do anything if it didn't involve extracting something in return. Albus hated to be kept in the dark. Because of Harry now being sorted in Slytherin it was already hard to keep tabs on the boy and whatever chances Dumbledore had planned to make sure that Harry and young Weasely would become friends had been washed down by Ron's stupid behavior. Harry had clearly befriended Hermione and with Ron's quarrel with her it was unlikely that Harry and he would ever be friends. Perhaps young Ginny would be able to make things right but there was a whole year before she was to come here and Dumbledore feared if things took an even ugly turn before that. He'd have to make sure they didn't and make situations stable for the plan. All he needed to do was put Harry in the Weasely family's influence, especially Ginny and Molly. Once he had done that getting to Harry wouldn't be a problem.

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**A/N: Thanks for those who liked this story…those who reviewed …**

**Thanks for reading…**


	4. Chapter 4

When Ron received a letter from his mother telling him that she had a very important package waiting in his dorm he knew he was in trouble. That it was being told to him via a letter he knew what it might be about as he glanced at the Slytherin table where Harry and Draco were sitting together talking. There were two girls this time with them as well, Tracy Davis and Daphne Greengrass. He then glanced on his left to the far end of the Gryffindor table where he saw Hermione and Neville eating and discussing something amongst them. Things had to turn out like this as he thought in anger. If only Potter was sorted in Gryffindor then none of this would've happened. Then he would have befriended him and things would go better than ever.

How could someone who had played a part in Voldemort's defeat be sorted in Slytherin? Ron didn't understand that. Clearly the hat had made a mistake.

Mistake was what the hat had made as Dumbledore thought about it while sitting I his office. It was lunch time and he often ate in his office unlike during breakfast and dinner when he dined in the great hall.

The hat was clearly charmed to never reveal why he sorted children to their respective houses. Dam Godric Gryffindor couldn't make things easier. He had tried to ask it, the hat this morning after the breakfast but the hat had arrogantly told him no. The nerve of that thing. Dumbledore didn't know things and that was infuriating for the old wizard.

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It had been almost a week since Harry had been here. Slowly the first year Slytherins had started to open up to him and Draco had their backs when one of them reluctantly told him and Harry that some seniors had threatened them if they tried to befriend Harry. Lucius had listened to his son this time mostly because according to him his son befriending Potter was a real huge step to make things easier for the future if there ever need be.

A letter to each of those students' parents was more than enough to calm things down inside the house of snakes. This didn't stop the hatred though as Harry and Draco were being more vigilant than ever perhaps it was a good thing that other first year Slytherins were now openly becoming their friends or as it happened inside their house – allies.

The entire house was divided into two parts – the seniors which had students from second year to seventh year and the other side had just the first year Slytherins. While Draco liked this sort of challenging style of living it was full of risks and dangers as some first years had already been targeted by the seniors. Snape had definitely tried to intervene, obviously taking sides with Draco but he couldn't do much because he also had a reputation of a faculty even though that didn't matter much. He intervened whenever he felt that things were going out of hands. His instructions were clear – whatever personal vendettas the students had amongst themselves they will deal with it inside the common room and/or in the dungeons. Outside these premises they had to show unity or else they will be answering directly to him and he promised it wouldn't be good.

Harry taught all the first year Slytherins some common trap checking spells and simple charms and ward spells to protect their stuff. Now wherever they would go they would go in groups if possible. Each first year Slytherin was accompanied by at least two more just to be extra safe and soon the seniors realized this. The unity amongst the first years had showed everyone their power.

Snape was enjoying watching this from the shadows, though. He had never imagined in any life that Potter and Draco would ever become friends. And now they were uniting the entire first year Slytherin students against the entire house. The fact that it was working was also surprising and Snape couldn't be prouder on his first year snakes. He hadn't known things would turn out like this. Of course the parents of the first year students of Slytherin had their role to play in. they had talked to the parents of the senior Slytherins and add to it Lucius' letters things had started to look pretty good.

A month passed down and things were going normal when one day Harry was summoned in by Dumbledore on a weekend. He had an idea as to why the headmaster was calling for him because last night he had received a letter from Bart where he had explained him things that he had found out thanks to his connections at the ministry.

Harry walked straight inside the office where Dumbledore asked him to take a seat and closed the doors with a wave of his hand. "Harry, without wasting any more time I would begin by saying that I am very much disappointed by you."

"What do you mean headmaster?" Harry said.

"Why did you never told me that you already gained your emancipation?" Dumbledore asked.

"If I didn't tell you about that then you shouldn't have gone behind my back and look for it, headmaster," Harry said, changing his tone into a more serious one.

"As headmaster of Hogwarts it comes under my rights to know about my students, Harry," Dumbledore said. "Now, why don't you tell me why you did this and who helped you in it?"

"As a legally emancipated individual I deny to answer your questions," Harry said. "I had my reasons to get the emancipation which I would like to keep with myself for now and will only share with anyone whenever and if I need to."

Dumbledore sighed. So this boy was now what he had thought him to be. "If that is how it has to be then you should also know that since you're an emancipated individual all the laws that applies to any 'of age' witches and wizards apply to you as well with no exceptions, right?"

"I am well aware of those laws, headmaster," Harry said.

"Then if that's the case then you must also know that the regular scoring system of Hogwarts which is deemed only for the students no longer applies to you," Dumbledore said. "Since you've been emancipated before coming to Hogwarts I am nullifying all of the points that were ever awarded or deducted to you or to your house because of what you did."

"I see no problem in that, headmaster," Harry said.

"It also calls for the need for you to be extra cautious," Dumbledore said. "And by that I mean you cannot be involved in situations involving assault or any sort of miss-happenings where you had to attack another student either using magic or physically."

"I understand," Harry said. Dumbledore nodded. Something was up. The boy was clearly taking this all in rather well. He had expected him to be surprised and somewhat begging to be considered a student and be treated like one but that wasn't the case. "And so…" Harry said and Dumbledore knew something was coming. "…I would like to request for a separate living quarters for my accommodations here at Hogwarts. As an emancipated individual I now have rights to any adult magical individual and as per the regulations of Hogwarts and as it happened about thirty years ago with one Reggie Stone I am seeking my right here as an emancipated student which is that I get a separate living quarter for my accommodation here at Hogwarts. I believe I can expect this request to be completed by tomorrow?"

Dumbledore was not ready for this. First of all Harry had been sorted into Slytherin instead of Gryffindor and if that wasn't difficult enough Severus was not being able to keep proper tabs on the boy most of the time. With Harry getting his own personal quarters to live in Dumbledore would lose all access to keep tabs on the boy. No, he needed to do something about it.

"I understand your request but I am afraid we don't have any quarters ready at the mome…"

"Hogwarts has twenty couple quarters for student pairs who have been betrothed or are recognized as a soul-bonded couple," Harry said. "Then there are fifteen quarters for students who have come of age while still being a student, mostly a seventh year student and can request for one if they require it. Other than these two Hogwarts also has five more quarters for situations where an underage student has got himself or herself emancipated for whatever reasons. As per the regulations of Education Board of Magical Britain an emancipated student holds the rights to get his or her own personal quarters with rights to full privacy from any and all forms of businesses of he or she wishes. So unless you are trying to withhold that right from me I would suggest that you allot me my private quarter or I take my case to the education board itself which I totally hold the rights to considering I am an emancipated individual."

If thoughts could be heard at that moment Dumbledore was screaming at Harry right now. He needed to know who Harry was living with outside Hogwarts. Right now the address where Harry's letter had went to had turned out to be a vacated house. It was in a nice suburban neighborhood and Harry's guardian had erased everyone's memories to prevent them from saying anything about the two in case someone came looking for them. The memory charm was so good that even if Albus tried he would not succeed without damaging the person's brain and that came with high risks of completely wiping all the memories off of that person's brain.

"I will see to it, Harry," Dumbledore said.

"You have to give me a fixed date, headmaster," Harry said. "I had to get my emancipations for reasons I don't want to share but I wanted to be here like any other student but now that you've come to know about it I fully accept all the responsibilities that comes with me being an emancipated child but that also means that Hogwarts has to stand on its set of regulations and provide me what I have my rights to while being here. So if you are not allotting me a private quarter right at the moment then I need you to give me a date for it so that I can be ready or else I have my rights to go to the education board with this matter and let them decide what is right and what's not."

"You will know by today evening, Harry," Dumbledore said.

"I appreciate it, headmaster," Harry said. "Was there anything else?"

"Not at the moment, no," Dumbledore said.

Harry stood up and left as Dumbledore watched him go. The moment the door closed behind Harry Dumbledore had a house elf called and asked it to bring him the regulations book made by the EBMB for Hogwarts. He needed to know all he could to corner the boy so at least he would listen to him. Right now things weren't looking good for his plans and of these situations kept on happening than the world would suffer a great deal and his dream of achieving the greater good will be in ruins. While he waited for the house elf to return with the book he wondered what else Harry knew about and how much he was prepared. There was one thing Dumbledore knew for sure now that since Harry was emancipated he knew about his familial heritage and the seats that he owned as being a highly valued member of the Wizengmot. He turned to look at the shining case on his shelf which housed the precious sword and only hoped the boy would never come to know about this.

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He whimpered trying to go further deep into the corner of his cell as they hovered right outside his cell feeding on his fears and bad memories. His tears no longer came out. There were dried-out marks on his now skinny face. This place had done its job on his but the torture wasn't over. He still waited when they would order these dementors to give him a kiss. At least that way he would go out quietly and not have to bear this torture every hour of every day.

For the crime that he had been accused of committing he had been imprisoned on a special level one where not many were sent. This place also had the most number of dementors guarding the area and feeding off of the prisoners' memories and fear.

So when Sirius heard footsteps coming towards his cell he wondered who had come to meet him. No one had ever since he was put here. Perhaps they had decided it was time to end his misery. The dementors were called away from the entire floor as he saw, through his blurry vision someone come and stand outside his cell, looking at him without speaking for over a minute or two.

"Just wait a little longer," the man said. "It will all be over soon, Sirius."

Sirius didn't know if he heard it all or even heard it right as the man then soon walked away as Sirius watched him go. He didn't know what that person meant by saying that but his mind was not into it anyway. The dementors soon returned and surrounded his cell as he transformed into his animagus form and started thinking about his days at Hogwarts when he was s student and when things were going well.

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Harry entered his dorm and found a letter on his bed. He opened it up and saw it was from Bart. Getting on his bed he closed off the blinds and applied some privacy charms before reading it. It wasn't long and had things written at point. As per Bart's instructions he burnt it up and went over to the owlery to write a letter.

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Ron was in a bad mood. Things weren't going the way he had thought they would. Now he was receiving letters from his mother telling him to mend his relation with Potter. She didn't know what had happened and she was just ordering him around as Ron thought. He was currently sitting on his bed, looking at a Quidditch magazine but surprisingly his mind wasn't into it.

He had wanted to play some wizard's chess but both Seamus and Dean had rejected his offer. Blast them, he thought. Then there was the fact that no one in Gryffindor was taking his side on the matter that Granger and Longbottom were friends with a Slytherin. Where did all that pride go? The pride of being a Gryffindor? They were all rats, betrayers, people who went back on their words.

Coming to the common room Ron had noticed those two sitting in one corner focusing on their assignments. He had then remembered about his own assignment and wondered how the hell he would complete it. Apart from his dorm mates minus Neville he didn't talk much to anyone in his house and that included Fred, George and Percy. He did as the twins to help him on the assignments but they left when he asked them to do it for him. He didn't understand why elder brothers couldn't do their younger sibling's assignments. Wasn't that how it was supposed to be? He then asked a few more seniors but they all either ignored him or told him to sod off. So much for house unity, he thought as he had then came back to his room, opened up the charms book, pulled out a few parchments wrote a few lines about the essay's topic and then left the rest, opening his Quidditch magazine and reading it.

Once he had realized that he had three more assignments left he let go off the magazine but by then dinner time had come and leaving everything on the side he left for the great hall. Eating a stomach-full of delicious meal he had then felt sleepy and came back to his dorm, slept on his bed without even removing the charms book and the parchments he had been laying before going to dinner.

When morning hit and Ron woke up due to the regular morning commotion inside his dorm he realized he hadn't completed even a single assignment and McGonagall's class was first thing after breakfast. The dread that filled him could easily be seen by everyone when he came downstairs to the common room but the thought of breakfast made him forget everything.

Ronald Weasely got detentions for the entire month when combining all the subjects' faculties' punishments. A letter was sent to his home and a howler came addressed to him by his mother embarrassing him further more publicly during the breakfast.

Everyone had laughed especially the twins and the Slytherins. Dumbledore shook his head. Ron was out of his plan for Harry. The boy was good for nothing so he would have to inform Molly to prepare Ginny for her coming year at Hogwarts. He was sure she wouldn't disappoint and what could be more beautiful that young love? The way he saw it everything would then fit nicely in his plan for the coming future.

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When head of magical law enforcement Amelia Bones received a letter sent to her by Harry James Potter she was certainly surprised. She had received a letter from Susan on her first morning at Hogwarts in which she told her about Harry Potter. When she came to the ministry that morning a few hours later it was the talk of the day. Apparently everyone who's children or wards were at Hogwarts had written to their parents and guardians about this new revelation. Reeta Skeeter was exceptionally happy, jumping around from one person to another to collect as much information as she could to write an article as soon as possible for the Prophet.

She had then opened the files about the investigation of the Potters' case to read about the findings that the team had been able to get their hands on. She was a close friend of the Potters because of Sirius. Two bad news had hit her that night eleven ten years ago. The first one was the news about the Potters. The second one was when she had arrived at the ministry. She was only a senior auror back then. Senior because she had exceptional dueling and spell casting skills as Mad Eye had taken a special liking to her when she was serving as an apprentice of his.

Sirius had been accused of betraying the Potters, something she could not have believed but people he trusted told her that they had found him on the scene screaming how he was responsible for their deaths. She could not believe and when they brought in Sirius she had planned to ask him some questions but they had then taken him away soon. She never even got a chance to see him until it was too late. He had been sentenced for life imprisonment in Azkaban. Even the thought of it sent shivers down her spine.

And now she had received a letter from Harry in which he said that his godfather had never received a fair trial. Also there was the fact that Harry had gained his emancipation and was using his influence as the last remaining heir to the house of Potter, Peverell and Gryffindor to demand a fair and open trial for his godfather which meant that other members of Wizengmot had also received his letter, the members who were allies to his family including her.

She didn't know about Sirius never receiving a trial. This was the first time she was hearing about it. All the files related to his case were classified by the then DMLE head of whom she wasn't that big a fan of. She called her secretary who popped in her head from the slightly opened door to receive a direct order from Amelia to fetch Sirius' case file regarding the Potters' case ten years ago. This would take a lot of digging especially if it had to be done without the minister knowing about this.

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It was the first Quidditch match of the term and everyone was excited. After one and a half month of coming to Hogwarts everyone was looking forward to this match with the first one to be played between Slytherin and Ravenclaw. Harry had skipped to see the match as he had no interest in Quidditch, much to the surprise of his dorm mates. He had decided to use that time to hang out with Hermione and Neville who both also shared with him their dislike to that particular sport.

They were currently sitting under a tree by the side of the black lake and it was a beautiful sunny day, worthy of enjoying every moment of it. Not far from them was the Quidditch ground and they could hear the enthusiastic crowds of the students going nuts over the game.

"So, how are things in your house?" Hermione asked. "We heard that they are all isolating you."

"I don't care less about how my house mates treat me," Harry said casually. "They've been targeting me ever since my first day here."

"Is everything alright?" Neville asked.

"Draco's handling it," Harry said.

"Draco Malfoy?" Neville asked.

"Yeah, why? Is there a problem?" Harry asked.

"No, nothing," Neville said. "It's just that my grandma always told me that Draco's father raised him like himself so whatever he does he does with a hidden agenda. I would say just be careful around him, Harry. There's no telling what he might've planned for the coming days because there's nothing he does if he thinks he can't gain anything from it."

Harry nodded, already knowing about Draco's character. "How's Ronald doing?" Harry asked. "If he ever bothers you guys you tell me."

"He's being quiet for now," Hermione said. "Although he does glare at us whenever we're near him. No one in Gryffindor is talking to him."

"It is weird," Neville said.

"What is?" Harry asked.

"You know how there exists a rivalry between Gryffindor and Slytherin more than any other houses?" Hermione said. Harry nodded. "Well, you frequently come to talk to us during meal times but no one in Gryffindor seems to be bothered by it at all. We wonder why. It's not that they have to stop it…it's just we wonder why they don't because it hasn't happened before."

"So what do you mean by that?" Harry asked.

"We…" Neville said nervously. "We thought that maybe because of who…who you are they don't want to get on your bad side."

"I don't understand," Harry said. "Because of who I am?"

Hermione took in a deep breath before sighing. "Some people are sad that you were sorted in Slytherin, Harry," she said. "They thought that since your parents were Gryffindors and that they played a great part in Vol…you-know-who's downfall that you'd be sorted in Gryffindor – the house of the brave. But then the hat sorted you in Slytherin and everyone was surprised by that, even some faculties. We saw their expressions during the sorting event. No one had expected that you would be sorted in Slytherin – the very house of you-know-who."

Harry nodded in understanding. "So this is why no one is bothered whenever I come and sit at your house table during meals?" he asked.

"We think it is although there can be other reasons," Neville said.

"Well, my experience has been total opposite," Harry said. "If it wasn't for Draco though then I'd already had problems with almost all of the senior Slytherins. He's keeping everyone in check with the fear of his father which I think is great for the moment although we are being careful whenever we are alone anywhere in the castle. Good thing is all of first year Slytherins support us because this way they are spared from being bullied by the seniors which happened all the time. That has pissed the seniors even more."

"if it is causing you problems – being friends with us then I think you should not be friends with us," Hermione said.

"What? No!" Harry said. "How can you even think about it? I will not abandon my friendship with you guys just because some green robed third year tells me to. There's no regulation that says students from one house shouldn't be friends with students from other houses. Unless they bring in that regulations, which I would really like to see how, I am not abandoning my friendship with you guys."

Hermione and Neville smiled when they saw Daphne coming their way with Tracy in tow. "What are you doing here, Potter?" she asked.

"Spending quality time with my friends," he replied. "What about you? Don't like Quidditch?"

"Never have never will," she replied.

"Well, welcome to the club then," Hermione said. "Wanna sit down?"

"No thanks," Daphne replied. "We were just roaming around the grounds enjoying the day away from the shouting crowds. I guess Draco's watching?"

"From the top seat," Harry said. "He asked me to join him but like I said, I don't like Quidditch."

"Well, many thought you did," Daphne said.

"Yeah, well people assume a lot of things about me ever since I came here," he replied.

"Call it whatever you want but they thought you'd enjoy the sport because your father was a seeker back in his days as a student here," Tracy said.

"He was?" Harry asked.

"There's still his trophy placed in the trophy section of the Gryffindor tower although you can't see it because you can't go there," Daphne said.

"Well, knowing is enough for me although I think my father would've understood me not liking the sport of which he seemed to be a huge fan," Harry said.

"Don't say that in front of Ron, though," Neville said with a smile. "That guy would give anything for Quidditch."

"I don't care what he likes and doesn't like," Harry said. "He's been on my bad side ever since I've come here. If he can't talk properly with you two then he will only have my bad side whenever he tries to talk to me or tell me anything."

"Mind that attitude while you are around the dungeons," Daphne said. "There are many who don't like that attitude of yours."

"I know, Daph," Harry said.

"What did you call me?" she asked.

"Daph…ne?" Harry said. Daphne smiled.

"That's right," she said.

"She always makes me nervous, you know," Harry whispered to Hermione and Neville who both smiled and tried to not laugh. "So, don't wanna join us, huh?"

"Thanks but no thanks," Daphne replied. "But if you want you can join us."

"Are you sure that would be alright?" Tracy asked Daphne.

"We first year Slytherins are already on the bad side of the rest of the house so I don't care whatever we do. We'd all always be targeted by the seniors," she said.

"Isn't professor Snape doing anything about it?" Hermione asked.

"He is but he doesn't want this to get outside our house, you know, 'Slytherin unity' and stuff," she said with a roll of her eyes while making the 'quotes' gesture. "He is doing everything in his power but not at the expense of his house's image in front of the entire school."

"Well, that he doesn't need to care about because he is biased towards us," Harry said.

"Don't let him hear you said that or else he will skin you alive and use that skin of yours as a potion ingredient," Daphne said making everyone laugh a little.

They all conversed a little more before Daphne and Tracy were on their way. Harry, Hermione and Neville stayed there for a few more hours before deciding to head back once they heard that Slytherin had won and the match had ended with the Slytherin seeker catching the golden ball.

It had been lunch time by then so Harry joined Draco as they headed to the great hall for a light lunch as the day passed slowly.

00000

The DMLE department was in a bit of a chaos as Amelia had everything turned upside down metaphorically speaking so when Fudge heard about the ruckus he came down walking into her office to see her buried amongst the files. "What is going on, Amelia?" he asked. "What is happening in the DMLE since the last few weeks?"

Amelia looked at the minister and sighed. She did not want him here but now that he had probably heard about it he wouldn't leave unless she told him everything. She only hoped he wouldn't be an obstacle in her goal to free Sirius whom she had always believed to be innocent. And she had a plan in her head that she thought would work as Fudge was someone who could easily be manipulated.

"Minister, you didn't have to come all the way down here," she said.

"I want to know what goes inside my ministry that has an entire department running around like headless chickens," Fudge said.

"We have well; I have come to know that Sirius Black had been sentenced to Azkaban for betraying the Potters without a proper trial," she said.

"So? He did one of the most heinous crimes ever," Fudge said. "H betrayed those who vanquished you-know-who and you want to give this man a fair trial?"

"Not I but his godson, Harry Potter," Amelia said. She then handed him the letter she had received from Harry that Fudge read as his expressions changed.

"He gained his emancipation?" he asked.

"As the last surviving heir to his house and to the house of Gryffindor and Peverell he had to," she said. "And now he is demanding a fair trial for his godfather. Now I don't know if Black actually is guilty or not but from where I stand and which what department I run here at the ministry it is my duty to ensure that proper justice is served. It is what makes us different from those savagers who want to watch out r world burn. If he is guilty then it will be found out. If he is not, well, then you get to be known as the minister who proved that one of the judgments of former minister Bagnold was wrong and that will only boost your image amongst the people."

"You are right there," he said. Amelia smiled mentally. No wonder this man why Lucius wanted this man to be minister. He was just too easy to manipulate. Poor Fudge. She also felt a little bad about it but it was Fudge's mistake for not being strong on his own.

"Also, minister," she said.

"Yes?"

"It would be a great help if you don't disclose it with anyone other than yourself," she said. "There are many out there who wouldn't want you to hold a public hearing about Black."

"But what if he actually is guilty?" he asked.

"Even then you get to be seen as someone who made sure proper justice was served by giving even a criminal a fair trial," she said. "In either cases it's a win for you."

Fudge smiled. "I will not speak to anyone about it, Amelia," he said. "If you need any help the ministry fund will always be open for your requirement for this trial. How soon can you make it happen?"

"Once we gather all the necessary evidences and previous records of his sentencing I'd say maximum a week," she said. "We'll have to keep a trial date for the Wizengmot as well."

"I will take care of that," he said. "Come to me once you've done everything. Every minister holds the power to call in an emergency Wizengmot meeting."

"I am grateful to you, minister," she said.

"Don't mention it, Amelia," Fudge said as he walked out of the office a happy man.

Amelia couldn't contain her smile once that stupid man was out of her office as she closed and locked the door and once again continued her search for Sirius' previous files. Anything that could prove his innocence would be enough to get him out of that hell.

**00000**

**A/N: I know it's going a bit slow but hold on. **

**Thanks for reading…**


	5. Chapter 5

Harry folded back the letter before burning it in his hand. The curtains around his bed were closed giving him the necessary privacy. It was his last night here in this dorm as tomorrow he will be shifting to his new quarters. Dumbledore had no choice but to provide him with his request or rather right. It was fun seeing the old man struggle with his plans but it was necessary at the same time.

As Harry slept on his bed peacefully a blond haired boy on the adjacent bed was still awake, looking at the ceiling of his dorm while lying on his bed. Sleep was miles away and he wondered if he would get any tonight. He had received some news from his father regarding Harry that seemed to concern his father. He didn't know why but his father had asked Draco to ask Harry about the specifics of his plan to get Sirius Black a fair trial. Draco wondered why his father was so worried. Wasn't Sirius his mother's cousin? Draco had his doubts about his father's orders but he knew he had to follow them like the good son that he was.

00000

Harry was called in for an early meeting with the headmaster. He suspected it might be in regards with the private quarters that he had asked for. Snape was waiting for him in the common room when Harry came downstairs. The greasy haired man said nothing but turned swiftly on his heels and walked out of the common room. Harry followed him close.

Five minutes later they were entering the headmaster's office where Harry found other house heads as well. He wondered what it was all about.

"Ah, you're here, Harry," Dumbledore said in his usual charming tone as if he was happy seeing the boy there. Harry rolled his eyes, not that anyone saw that. That would be something.

"Why am I here, headmaster?" he asked, without looking at any other house heads. He kept his eyes at Dumbledore.

"We all head faculties took your request to serious consideration," Dumbledore said, "and have come to the conclusion that you will, indeed, get your private quarters like you requested for."

"Not requested, headmaster," Harry said. "As an emancipated student it is my right to have my own private quarters."

"Yes," Dumbledore said, "but the process is not that easy. You need to have special grants from all the other head faculties as having access to private quarters as your living conditions at Hogwarts reflect to the fact that you officially don't have a house representation."

"I know that," Harry said.

"That means you will not be awarded any points for your positive performance or any points will be taken from you," Dumbledore said.

"I understand," Harry said, already knowing all of that. He then turned to look at the four house head faculties. "With your permission I would like you four to grant me the private quarters seeing that I am a legally emancipated under-aged student here at Hogwarts. I fully understand and would dutifully follow any and all regulations meant for any 'of age' wizard here and outside this institution."

"He's good," Pomona whispered to Flitwick who stifled a chuckle. He had really taken a liking to the boy the moment he had seen him. He so much reminded the tiny professor of James. That man was famous for pulling pranks on both students and teachers throughout those seven years that he had been a student here. Finding Lily had been the best thing for that boy. While she was the exact opposite of him, them being together was such a beautiful balance that Flitwick nor any other faculty had ever seen before. They both completed each other. Looking at Harry now reminded him of those two.

"You have my grant, Harry," Flitwick said.

"Mine as well," Pomona said soon after.

Harry turned to look at McGonagall. "You've been a formidable and very active student all these days here at Hogwarts, Mr Potter," she said. "I would like for you to keep continue being like that."

"I will, professor," Harry replied.

"Then you have my grant, Mr Potter," McGonagall said.

"Professor Snape?" Dumbledore said, looking at the greasy haired professor. He had had an early morning talk with Snape about this moment. Harry needed all four grants in order to get the privileges of the private quarters. Even if one faculty denied that then Harry wouldn't have his request fulfilled.

Harry looked at the boy for a minute. It was the longest he had looked at Harry and he wasn't looking at his face. He was looking at his eyes. Those eyes. Lily. He could feel his emotions boil inside of him as he kept looking at those eyes. He was a part of her – Harry. Despite the fact that he had a part of James in him too, he also had a part of Lily as well. He very well remembered his little discussion with Dumbledore early this morning.

"I think my mum would be happy that you gave me my quarters, professor," Harry said. "She often talked about you in her journals. I understand you and her were very close."

The boy knew? If emotions could be read despite them being shown on the faces of people then there were two people in the office who were trying their very best to keep a neutral face. While Dumbledore was shocked to realize that Harry might know his mother's relation to Severus, Snape had his own flood of thoughts and emotions.

"You know about that?" Snape asked, his lips quivering a little but he had managed enough control thanks to his immense grasp at occlumency. Harry nodded.

"She spoke very highly of you and despite…" Harry paused, "…despite whatever happened between you two she often hoped that you will come around. She wanted you back in her life. You should've apologized to her, professor. She was ready to forgive you."

Dumbledore knew he had lost the moment Harry had said those words as Flitwick, McGonagall and Pomona, all three looked at Snape with wide eyes and open mouths (McGonagall had pressed lips which said enough about her struggle to show her emotions on her face). They all knew about Snape and Lily and how close they were and what had happened all those years ago. A moment of heated anger had ruined it all between those two and it had been like that ever since then.

Snape looked at Dumbledore with eyes that said enough to the old man. He would have to try another way to fix this as he could not lose Snape's importance to his cause. "You have my grant, Mr Potter," Snape said in a straight and calm tone before walking out of the office.

"Congratulations on your new private quarters, Mr Potter," Flitwick said with a pat on his back as he followed Snape out of the office as well. Pomona and McGonagall congratulated him as well before leaving him with Dumbledore alone.

"Well, it looks like you have what you need, Harry," Dumbledore said with a tired tone. He pulled out a form from his drawer and gave it to him. "Sign this and find Finch. He will show you to your new quarters."

Harry nodded before reading the entire form to make sure there was no hidden agenda in it as it had been handed to him by Dumbledore. Trusting this man was worse than death. Confirmed that it was a legit normal document confirmation for his acquiring of private quarters Harry signed it and left the office, leaving behind a pondering Dumbledore who was already thinking how he would make things better with Snape.

00000

When Sirius saw Amelia Bones standing outside his cell he couldn't help but smile. "You've changed," he said, baring his blackened teeth as he looked at her with sulking eyes.

"So have you," she said, trying really hard to not cry at his situation. She hadn't seen him since their last day ten years ago when he had left her to go after the Potters. With the type of sentence that he had been given she was not allowed to see him. No one was.

"How's everything?" he asked. "I don't get to have news since I am here. How is Susan? I'm pretty sure she's old enough to start Hogwarts by now."

"First year," Amelia said. "She started going this year. So did your godson."

Sirius' smile vanished as he grabbed on to the metal bars and pulled himself up, lying on them and crushing his face between them for the much needed physical support. He looked at her with wide eyes which looked terrifying on his boney face with long hairs. Her heart wrenched painfully seeing him like that. "What did you say?" he could not believe what she had just said.

"This came as a surprise to the entire magical community," Amelia said. "We don't know how but Harry is alive and well."

"It…It can't be!" Sirius gasped as he fell back on his behind. "I HELD HIM IN MY OWN HANDS! ! !" he shouted. "I HELD HIM WITH THESE!" he shouted, showing her his hands as he broke down completely. "You're just like them! You're only here to torture me!"

"I am not, Sirius," Amelia said, trying to maintain her professionalism as she was here with a small team of aurors. She then took the Prophet and threw it inside his cell. "This dates to the day Hogwarts' current term began. It came to everyone's shock and surprise when deputy headmistress Minerva McGonagall read his name from the list of this year's students. Read it yourself and once you're done I will tell you why I am here."

Sirius grabbed the newspaper and read the big bold letters of the headline on the front page. He then went on to read the entire article about his apparently alive godson. There was no picture of Harry, though. "Why's there no picture of him here?" he asked.

"Because he's in Hogwarts and no reporter is allowed inside the limits of the castle during an ongoing term," Amelia said. "Now, if you are convinced shall we talk business?" Sirius looked at her. He had been crying. His voice was dry but soon his luck would change, even if it meant for a little bit. She didn't exactly know if he was actually innocent or not as if he wasn't then he would still get a few days away from this hell inside a ministry cell. If it was proven that he was actually guilty then he would be administered to immediate kiss by the dementors. Either ways his pain would end.

Amelia gave him the letter she had received from Harry days ago. Sirius looked at the letter before opening it. He read every line carefully before looking up at her. She nodded at him before one of the aurors opened the cell to let him out.

"You are being transferred to the temporary ministry prison facility back in Magical Britain where you will wait an impending public trial that you were denied of," Amelia said. "If proven guilty you will be administered to immediate dementor kiss. If not then all charges against you will be dropped and the ministry will pay you the penalty for wrongful imprisonment of an innocent man. Do you accept these conditions, Sirius Orion Black?"

"I…I do!" Sirius said.

Amelia nodded. "As director of the department of magical law enforcement I, Amelia Edgar Bones, hereby states that you, Sirius Orion Black will serve your coming days in Ministerial Prison System awaiting your due trial at the latest Wizengmot meeting, requested, attend and witnessed by your godson Harry James Potter, heir to the Potter family."

Sirius could not believe this was happening. Everything aside he was only glad as he could ever be when he came to know his godson was actually alive. He had a million questions in his mind but as he was taken away by the aurors that had come with Amelia since he had no energy left in his own body he looked at her and smiled cockily, raising an eyebrow which did not suit his present appearance like he had thought. One of the aurors cringed at him trying to look like he did years ago as he looked at Amelia. "So, director, huh?" he said as he was dragged out of Azkaban with Amelia shaking her head at his antics.

00000

News started to spread soon about Sirius' upcoming trial. With it being common knowledge that Harry had gained his emancipation and could now demand a fair public trial for any of his family members – adopted or blood related – it was known that Sirius' impending trial would be around the corner any day. Other information were being kept secret for obvious security purposes as there were many who didn't want this trial to take place. One such person currently sat in his office reading the exact same article fuming over things getting out of his hands as he stood up, crumpled the paper and threw it in his phoenix's bucket who opened one eye to look at him before going back to sleep.

00000

Draco Malfoy was unaware of the things happening around currently as he, Hermione and Neville had been invited to see Harry's new living quarters. The nervousness and eeriness between Hermione, Neville and Draco could be felt as they didn't talk to each other while waiting outside Harry's quarter entrance which opened soon and Harry invited them in.

"Sorry for the delay. I was in the bathroom," Harry said as he let them all in.

"Wow!" Neville gasped as he looked around. "I had heard about the students' living quarters but never thought I would see one. This is better than most high class family houses!"

"You're forgetting the four people who made them," Hermione said. "The Founders didn't want their students to have lack of anything at all."

"This is nice," Draco said. "Congratulations Potter," he said.

"Thank you," Harry said, smiling back at him which caused Draco to sniff, raising his head.

Harry gave them glasses of pumpkin juice that the elves had made on Harry's request as they walked around looking at the different rooms. It was a decent sized living quarter with three huge rooms, each with their own bathrooms and one huge hall. From the outside it looked pretty normal and small but so did every classroom and other room here at Hogwarts. All of the rooms and other parts of the castle had been magically enlarged.

Each room was equipped with all sorts of amenities that the living person would ever require as the three looked around watching things in awe.

"They did give me one condition that if I was having someone over they could not stay for the night unless they were from outside the castle," Harry said. "So, no students allowed spending the night here."

"Anyone can guess why," Draco said as he walked around. "Dumbledore would flip out if he ever came to know students were having snogging sessions in the quarters that were given to them for other purposes."

While Neville's mouth hung open Hermione's blush was quite visible as Harry laughed it out, patting Draco's back. "Fortunately we're too young to do anything like that," Harry said. "Besides, I don't think I would ever find anyone who would genuinely be in love with me."

"What do you mean?" Hermione asked.

"He's talking about his fame," Draco said. "With everything that they've stuck on him and his name girls would go crazy to be called one Mrs Potter in the near future."

"Oh," Hermione said, understanding finally.

"So, you've got plans for this place, Potter?" Draco asked.

"Not at the moment, no," Harry said. "If you can suggest something then be my guest."

"We heard that you are no longer a representative of any house. Is it true?" Neville asked.

"It is," Harry said, nodding. "And from what I think it's good that way because now I won't have to worry about some senior Slytherins planning something behind my backs."

"And I've got the backs of the rest of the first years back at the dungeons," Draco said.

"That's so nice of you two," Hermione said. "We haven't seen that type of unity in our year in Gryffindor."

"Don't get it the wrong way but Gryffindor isn't what they make others want to see themselves as," Draco said. "Everyone shows their true nature when real time comes. Besides, it's been known that the sorting hat also takes into account a student's wish to go to a particular house."

"It does?" Neville and Hermione asked together.

Draco rolled his eyes. "I am amazed that you don't know that even after being sorted," he said. "You might've had experienced something where you think the hat sent you to the house you wanted to be in." He looked at Neville and Hermione.

"He did say I have the brains for a Ravenclaw but then I told him I wanted to be in the house in which Dumbledore had been sorted as a student here," Hermione said.

"And so he sent you to Gryffindor," Draco said. "What about you?" he asked, looking at Neville.

"I…I just wanted to be in Gryffindor because it has produced the strongest light wizards in the history of magic," Neville said.

"Was that the house the hat wanted to send you to?" Draco asked.

"No," Neville said. "It said that Hufflepuff was probably best for me. I was already known as a squib and if I had gone in Hufflepuff then they'd say that I was an even bigger squib so I didn't want to go to that house."

"So does that mean you two also got to have your requested houses?" Hermione asked.

Draco nodded. "My entire family's been in Slytherin," Draco said. "It has been seen as the house of the purest of the pure bloods so there was no way I was going into any other house. I had that in mind even before coming here."

"Maybe this is why the hat sent you to Slytherin even before it was placed on your head," Harry said, chuckling.

"What about you, Harry?" Hermione asked. "Did you want to be sent to Slytherin?"

"I don't know," Harry said with a shrug. "When McGonagall placed the hat on my head it did say that I had qualities that of a true Slytherin but asked for my desire as to in which house I wanted to be in. I said I really didn't care so he put me in Slytherin."

"You could've been in Gryffindor," Neville said.

"Well, whatever is done is done," Harry said. "Besides, I'd already gained my emancipation before coming to Hogwarts so it wouldn't have mattered anyway."

"Yeah, there's that," Neville said.

"So, got any ideas?" Harry asked, turning towards Draco.

"I'm all empty," Draco said. "I mean we could call in other first year Slytherins here and try to do something fun or productive on weekends but what that I don't know."

"We could perhaps…" Hermione said nervously.

"Yeah? What is it?" Harry asked.

"Leave it. You wouldn't like it anyways," Hermione said.

"You have an idea," Harry said. "I'd like to listen to what you've to say."

"Well…it's not that great but…I…I was thinking that perhaps we could make our own study group and come to study here every night?"

"That's not a bad idea," Harry said. He then looked at Neville and Draco. "What do you guys say?"

"I don't hate it but I don't like it either," Draco said.

"Why's that?" Harry said.

"You'll invite Gryffindors and I'll invite Slytherins," Draco said. "Are you getting what I'm trying to say?"

"Inter-house animosity," Harry said, understanding. "Well, then, we'll just have to make them not quarrel with each other."

"I would love to get some sense in some of the Gryffindors," Draco said with a smirk.

"Whoa! We're not going to go physical are we?" Hermione asked. "I will handle my house you handle yours."

"Fine," Draco muttered.

"Perhaps it would be best if…if we asked only those who actually want to come," Neville said.

"Exactly," Harry said. "There aren't all great kids in Slytherin first year."

"Same is with Gryffindor," Hermione said. "Leave Gryffindor to me. you both can decide who you want to invite."

Harry nodded, looking at Draco who also nodded a bit slowly.

It was decided that they would start their own study group and after that they all stayed there until it was time for dinner which Harry had at the Gryffindor table with Hermione and Neville. The other Gryffindors would often look at him but wouldn't say anything. It was official news now that Harry didn't belong to any of the four houses since he was an emancipated minor.

Dumbledore spent the entire dinner hour looking at Harry, thinking what he could do to get things back on track. First, the boy had come out of nowhere where, in fact, he was supposed to be dead. Then he had gained his emancipation without even telling anyone. Then once he had come to Hogwarts he was sorted into Slytherin and if that wasn't back he was now living in his own private quarters which Dumbledore could do nothing about. Well, he could always remove Harry but to do it directly would mean that he would have to rusticate the boy and that Dumbledore would not let to happen. The only other way to remove Harry from his private quarters was to bring the case to the education board which he knew would be a bad idea.

So currently he was left with nothing unless he came to know something. It was then that he heard McGonagall talking with Pomona that Harry and his friends had decided to start a study group. He wondered if it would be possible for young Weasely to somehow be a part of it. But the problem with that boy was that he didn't study. If he couldn't do the very thing the group was being meant to be set up for then why would anyone bother letting him being a part of it? But he would have to try. Perhaps motivating him with a little sweets would do the trick. Manipulating young ones was very easy and it was something Dumbledore took pride in. A little tweaking inside his brain and Ron Weasely would be listening to him and Molly once again.

00000

Molly Weasely was sad. She was angry. She was pissed and she was feeling all kinds of negative emotions right now including the urge to actually kill someone but she knew that would not be possible. Over the last month and a half her life had been turned upside down. Not that it hadn't already. Albus' promise to turn her life around with money and fame had died down the day the Potter child had been murdered but then about two months ago everyone came to know that Harry was actually alive. Not that it didn't make her day. She was angry because she didn't know about it before and thus, missed the chance of introducing herself and her son Ronald to the boy so that the two could be friends. At least that could've lead to something but then her son had to go over everything carefully planned and ruin his relationship with the Potter brat by exchanging heated words with him. Dumbledore had wrote to her that night explaining what had happened and how it was actually Ron's mistake. The next morning her youngest son had received a howler from her which he had opened in the privacy of his empty dorm that day.

If that hand not been bad enough she also came to know that Potter had been sorted in Slytherin. There went her entire hope of welcoming that boy into her family. And if that wasn't worse that smart-arse had to go and get himself emancipated. As well-known and influential the Potter name was in the wizarding world she Molly Weasely was sure there would've been various betrothal contracts awaiting Harry's response. If that boy accepted any one of them than all of her plans, all of her dreams would go down the hole. She wasn't ready for that. And so she had to prepare her daughter even more. Her youngest son had proven his worthlessness and now she had no hop in him. He could as well die and she wouldn't be bothered by that. All he cared was to get what she had always desired – to be known and respected using the lime lights of fame and power. And she could only get that through the Potter brat.

Hopefully nothing bad would happen until then.

00000

Harry, Hermione and Draco watched the small group of first year Hufflepuffs, Slytherins and Gryffindors standing in front of them in Harry's private quarters in chill silence. They didn't look at each other probably because a student on either of their sides was from another house. The three of them already knew that would happen. Surprisingly not many had come from all of the houses. Ravenclaw wasn't there at all. They were a rather proud house taking pride in their intelligence with a mindset that said that they will never share their intelligence with others, even their own housemates. Being the most competitive of the four houses in terms of academics it made sense that no student from Ravenclaw was here.

"Thank you for everyone who came today for this study group," Harry said, taking a step forward. "I know this will be a bit difficult with you working with other houses but there's no other way. If you want to be a part of this group then you will have to forget your animosity with the other houses and I say animosity and not rivalry because the latter is good. Animosity, not so much."

"But we don't want to study with the snakes!" one of the Gryffindors said.

"Did any Slytherin of the first year has done anything bad to you, Dean?" Harry asked.

"N…No," Dean said.

"So what is the problem?" Harry asked. Dean didn't reply. Harry took a breath before speaking. "When I was sorted in Slytherin no one talked to me. I was someone they all hated, especially the seniors because of what my family had done to their master. There's no other way why else they'll hate me. There are many muggleborns and half-blood witches and wizards in Slytherin. So why only me? If it hadn't been for Draco here then it would've become a lot more difficult for me to survive there, always keeping an eye out for any hidden attacks, anything mixed into your food and water, any prank with severe results and so on. I can go on forever because those things happened with me. And because Draco stood up for my support the other seniors didn't like that either. Those first year Slytherins who talked or spent time with us were also targeted by the seniors. We had to take out own measures to ensure our safety. You might not have any of such negative encounters and experiences with your fellow year Slytherins because they were busy protecting and looking out for each other. They're standing right beside you. You can ask them if you want. Your complain is with regards to the senior Slytherins and that I and everyone else here who's in Slytherin understands very well. If you can't understand that then I pity you and I hope you will soon understand it yourself. Until then you will not be a part of this group."

Everyone but the Slytherin students looked down, looking guilty. "So, are there any more problems that you would like to point out?" Draco asked. Everyone shook their heads. "Alright." Hermione then started distributing a paper to each one of the students who were there. "This is a simple but quite serious contract or binding document that states that if you want to join this group or wants others to join this group then you or that person should not have an ulterior motive for this group inside their head. If that is the case then you will get some serious burns and pimples on your face and we will then know who was the responsible one and then you will be kicked out of this group."

"What if someone who we want to add in this group has a motive of his own that we don't know about?" Susan Bones asked.

"Then that person will suffer with the pimples and burns," Hermione said. "If you have no idea about that person's true nature then you will be spared."

"That is some advanced magic there, Granger," Daphne said with a smile.

"Was that a complement, Daphne?" Hermione asked.

"Don't get full of yourself," Daphne said with a smirk. "So?"

"This was Harry's idea," Hermione said. "His mother was a very skilled witch in fields of charms and potions and during one of their years at Hogwarts here they also created a study group when they were in their sixth year. harry found out about it in her journal and then we three researched about the magic and with a little help from professor Flitwick we came up with it."

"So, any complaints anyone?" Harry asked, clapping his hands together. "No? Alright. Sign the paper and then we will begin from tomorrow at seven in the evening. You can do your homework here, study ahead from the rest on your own and we can even practice spells in here."

"We can do that?" a boy from Hufflepuff asked.

"We can," Harry said. "As this is a private quarters anyone can do anything that he or she isn't allowed to do in school corridors but please don't get any funny or dangerous ideas."

Everyone laughed at that before they all submitted the paper and left. "Well, that's done," Hermione said, placing down the stack of paper she had collected from the students.

"It was your idea," Harry said. "You should be proud that because of this idea of yours many students are actually interested in studying. Not that I'm complaining about the teaching methods of our faculties."

"Except for maybe Logan," Draco said.

"And Binns," Harry said.

"And Trelawney," Draco added. "I hope I don't have to take divination in my third year. Which curriculum would you follow, Potter? You don't actually represent a house anymore."

"I asked McGonagall about that and she said that unless I had plans for bringing in private tutors to teach me I will have to follow one of the house's curriculums so I decided to stick with Slytherin."

"You made me happy by saying that," Draco said, patting Harry on the back. He then turned towards Hermione. "And nice work today, Granger."

"Thank…Thank you," Hermione said, blushing almost immediately as Draco left the place. "What?" she said realizing Harry was looking and smiling at her.

"Nothing," Harry said with a smile.

**00000**

**A/N: Thanks for reading…**


	6. Chapter 6

Lucius sat in his office, looking at the documents which tied his son to the Black fortune. He knew his relation with Sirius. It wasn't all good and it wasn't that bad either. Sirius just hated him with every muscle in his body. That should not be that bad, right? It would've been a lot worse if it wasn't for Narcissa. It was her who had still kept Sirius sane and stopping him from changing his decision. Perhaps a conversation with her cousin would help keep his decision as it was meant to be.

00000

When Dumbledore realized he had not been taken seriously and with importance regarding this matter his temper had rose so high that it had seen many of his belongings inside his office flying around and smashing to pieces because of his magic. Three house elves had to be called to fix his entire office. Thankfully no one had known.

Sirius Black was to be given a public trial soon and he was learning about this from a piece article by the Daily Prophet! This was unacceptable. The decision had been apparently approved by Minister Fudge and was seen over by DMLE director Amelia Bones. No information as to who had requested for Sirius' trial to be conducted but Dumbledore might have a guess about that. All he worried was how to approach the boy with this. But before that he needed to make sure Sirius didn't get to that trial. Perhaps some strings needed pulling.

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Remus Lupin found a Prophet thrown in the bin as he searched for bits of food in the dumpster. When he realized it was Sirius' picture he couldn't believe it. He hadn't seen his friend since the night before the Potters were murdered. Ever since then he had been himself, wandering around, looking for something to eat and then spending nights anywhere he could. When he read that Harry Potter was also alive he couldn't believe it. Perhaps his hunger and health had finally made him insane but then there was also Harry's picture in the paper. He looked like a spitting image of his father when James was of that age and then there were those eyes that were reminiscent of Lily's.

He was their perfect blend and everyone was proud of him. And now Harry was doing things no one had even dreamt about. Perhaps Dumbledore would allow him to stay at Hogwarts for a few days as a guest of Harry? But before that he needed to write Harry a letter. He would need all the help he could get for this trial as not all were happy about it.

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When Draco Malfoy learnt from his father's letter about how he would be the last heir of the Black fortune and how Sirius' release could ruin it all he realized why his father was opposed of this idea. He didn't understand why his father always wanted this much money. The Malfoys were pretty sickly rich. He didn't understand how adding the Black fortune would help anyway. But as his father was and as Draco was devoted to him he couldn't ask his father that question. What troubled him was how he would break this down to Harry. Through Sirius he and Harry were related, although not by blood but by bond of words and legality. He needed to know why his father was so adamant about it.

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Ron could not believe he was being told to do something like this. Had Dumbledore and his mother gone mad? Why the hell would they want him to Join Potter's worthless study group? And now apparently other faculties were also encouraging him to join it as his grades were constantly falling and he had often been warned that if it continued to fall then he might be one of those rare kids who couldn't pass even his first year. That news would surely send his mother screaming down at him.

Also there were a lot of candies involved. Dumbledore had called him one night in his office and had given him a small packet of candies whilst showing the entire package which he promised he would give to Ron if he did this work successfully. How could anyone say no to that kind of an offer? And so Ron was now stuck with how to get himself into this stupid study group so he approached his dorm-mate Seamus and Dean who were playing exploding snap at that moment in the common room as it was a weekend morning and everyone was having a late start.

"Hey, Dean, Seamus," Ron said, sitting down next to them.

"We're not interested in any wizards' chess, Weasely," Dean said.

"I'm not here for that," Ron said. "I was wondering if you both could tell me how I can get into this study group you guys go to."

Both looked up from their game to him with wide eyes. ""Did you say that correct or did we heard it wrong?" Dean asked.

"I'm serious," Ron said.

"You're interested in joining Potter's study group despite the two facts that is like...universal?" Seamus said.

"What do you mean?" Ron asked.

"First thing is you're Ron Weasely," Seamus said. "You and studying are two things that don't seem natural to anyone together. The second thing is you've had heated arguments with all four – Granger, Potter, Longbottom and Malfoy. What's the sudden change in interest?"

"My grades," Ron said straight. I was approached by many faculties about it and they all told me to join this group. Even I see no other way than this and I have to pass my first year at Hogwarts."

"Seems fair," Dean said, looking at Seamus. "But do you really want to be in the study group?" he asked, looking at Ron.

"Why're you asking me like that?" Ron asked. "It's a study group. Anyone can be in it, right?"

"Not entirely true," Seamus said. "You'll be asked to sign a magical contract stating you have no malicious intent towards you joining the group and if you do then there will be consequences that will see you get thrown out of that group."

"What consequences?" Ron asked.

"Oh, we're not allowed to say that," Dean said. "Part of the deal."

"Seems a bit too serious for me," Ron muttered. "I mean it's just a study group."

"But it's quite an effective one," Dean said. "Our grades have improved a lot since we started and yes, some did join with no apparent interest in studying so they were kicked out after being recognized so this is why we're asking you. Are you entirely serious about joining this group? If yes then we'll ask Potter to add you in."

"Um, yeah!" Ron said. "Yeah, I'm completely serious about it."

"Alright, then," Seamus said. "We'll talk to Potter and Granger and see when can we first give you the contract and make you join."

Ron was a happy man. This didn't seem that hard. He was worrying about nothing. He walked out of the common room planning to grab something to eat before lunch of there was something left on the Gryffindor table in the great hall.

00000

Harry read the letter from Bart before incinerating it in his hands and dissipating away its ashes making sure it was not readable in any way whatsoever if someone else was interested in his letters. He then went on to open the letter he had received that morning from Remus Lupin, a friend to their parents and Sirius, a very close one. From what he knew about him he was also part of his father's little marauders group. That would make him pretty close to his parents and Sirius. From what Bart had told him Remus had been bitten by a werewolf as a child and thus, now suffered the same fate, thereby not getting any job or shelter even if he was a great wizard. That would make things difficult for the man.

_._

'_Harry,_

_I am sorry about writing you this late but I had no idea about you being alive. I came to know about it only a few days back when I saw an article about you in the Prophet. I don't know what else to write in this letter even though I've got a million questions in my heart right now. _

_I also heard about Sirius' trial. Never thought you knew about that and I guess you initiated it as from what I've been able to gather from you gained your emancipation and unless it is from some noble family head the ministry wouldn't simply give a life sentence serving someone a public trial. _

_I haven't seen him since the night before…before you know what I mean to say. It still sends chills whenever I think about that night. If it wasn't for my condition I would've been there. I could've made a difference. I don't know if Sirius really betrayed you all or not and I feel bad for thinking like that but I cannot help it. _

_Anyways, I am writing to you about letting you know that I am here for you if you need any sort of help. James and Lily were my friends too, especially your mother. It was through her that I met your father and Sirius. If I can't help her son then there's just no reason for me to exist. I at least owe her that much if not my entire life which I do actually. _

_I don't know when I will be able to see you and I don't know if when I do that you'd be able to recognize me. I don't even have a picture of mine that I could send you. I just wanted to let you know that you are not alone in this world. You were very much loved still are. Always remember that there are people upon whom you can rely on. Don't ever forget that. I think that's all I can say for now. I am looking forward to seeing you in person. I hope you'll be able to forgive me for my absence from your life. _

_Remus Lupin.'_

_._

Harry folded the letter, placing it in his pocket as he looked outside the window of his quarters. It looked like Remus had finally figured it out that he was alive. He would see to it that the old werewolf would get to have a bit comfortable life from now on. First he needed to figure out where he was. Meeting him now though wouldn't be that good an idea. Harry first needed to focus on Sirius' trial. That was his priority right now because there were a lot of people who didn't want this trial to happen. One of them was the very headmaster of this school who was currently taking a stroll out in the school grounds enjoying the beautiful day. Dumbledore looked up at Harry through his quarter's window and both their eyes met. Neither of them had warm looks for each other. For the old man he thought Harry wouldn't be able to see his expressions but he could and the boy knew that Dumbledore did not look happy looking at him.

Harry turned around and closed the window behind him as Dumbledore kept looking at the window for some more before continuing his walk around the school grounds.

00000

As he watched them from behind the trees he wondered how Lucius would react to the news when he'd tell him. Would he be surprised? He would have fun telling about his lies to his master. His nose twitched out of habit as he went back into the forest that covered the south side of the Malfoy estate. Perhaps starting now was best. It was, after all, his master's plan and he was never wrong.

00000

Dumbledore walked into Fudge's office as the minister's secretary walked behind him. Fudge looked up from his files to see the two standing inside his office. He looked at his secretary who looked back at him apologetically. Fudge nodded back at him signaling the young man to leave them. This old fool never listened. Who did he think he was?

"I presume my secretary told you that I was busy, Dumbledore," Fudge said.

"Yes, but your work can wait," Dumbledore said, sitting comfortably on the chair. "Mine's more important."

"If you think you can just barge into my office and make me stop doing my ministerial responsibilities then you are very much mistaken," Fudge said.

"May be," Dumbledore said. "But then I will have to tell the press about your other side of ministerial business with some well-known pure blood families. I wonder how many times you've helped them while ignoring your responsibilities as the minister of our magical nation."

Fudge's face twitched. He had never liked this guy ever. "What do you want?" he said grudgingly.

"A little information and if possible, a little debt collection," Dumbledore said.

"I don't owe you shit," Fudge said.

"Oh, minister, you do," Dumbledore said. "Just like everyone else you owe me for saving your miserable lives from Grindelwald's terror. You owe me for standing and defending your sorry lives from Voldemort's terror back when he was alive."

"You think that makes you some sort of an owner of everything?" Fudge asked.

"I would like to think yes," Dumbledore said as he twirled his wand under the desk putting Fudge in a very mild imperius curse causing the minister to be completely under his control. With Fudge it was easy as he was too dumb to forget his daily dose of potions which prevented him from being mind-controlled from spells and/or potions of any kind. It looked like the minister had forgotten today's dose as well. Dumbledore smiled slowly as he looked at glazy-eyed Fudge looking straight at him with a neutral face.

"Now," Dumbledore said, sitting more comfortable on the chair, "tell me about Sirius Black's trial process and who authorized it."

"Sirius Black would receive a public trial on a classified date which will be revealed a day before the trial to the common public," Fudge said in a flat tone. He then seemed to struggle with his words as if he was fighting to tell Dumbledore but couldn't.

"Who is authorizing over this operation?" Dumbledore asked. Fudge mumbled, his lips shut closed as the struggle to speak was clear on his face. Dumbledore sighed. "Were you put under an unbreakable vow to not speak of this, minister?" fudge nodded. Dumbledore shook his head tiredly. He should've expected this. "Who started this trial thing? Was it Harry Potter?"

"Yes," fudge nodded. "He sent a letter to the authorizer to initiate his godfather's trial under his claim of three Wizengmot seats. The law states that Wizengmot will automatically have to grant any accused a trial innumerable times if the trial has been requested by at least two members of the Wizengmot body."

"And little Harry has three," Dumbledore said to himself. He removed Fudge from the influence of the curse while also erasing the moments from about ten minutes since he was in his office as he left the place, obliviating the secretary on his way.

00000

Amelia had finished all of the preparation needed for this trial and now she had to decide on a date. All of the Wizengmot members had been notified about the trial taking place and once the date was decided they would all be informed about it a day before. If the minimum decorum wasn't seen on the day of the trial then Sirius Black will automatically be seen as an innocent person so she was sure that some Wizengmot members wouldn't want to let it happen. Almost the entire Wizengmot will be there on the day of Sirius' trial. When she came out of her office she heard some people talk about Dumbledore being there about an hour ago in the ministry. What business did he had? She removed it from her head and walked towards the minister's office to tell him about it. Since she had already had him under the unbreakable vow it was safe to tell him about the date that she had decided for Sirius' trial.

"Is the minister free, Taron?" she asked Fudge's secretary. He looked a little out of place that morning.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, he is, Madame Bones," the secretary said.

"Are you feeling okay?" she asked.

"I'm fine, Madame Bones," Taron said.

Amelia looked at him before walking into Fudge's office. He, too, looked a bit out of place. Seeing it for the second time made her realized that they both had been perhaps subjected to some mind control magic. She was quickly on Fudge's side, placing both her hands on his shoulders. "Minister, are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Amelia," Fudge said in a slurred voice. Perhaps it was a good thing that she had him under the unbreakable vow or else he'd have spilled beans on Sirius' trial to whoever had come here asking about it. Yes, she knew that someone had come seeking information about Sirius' trial because Fudge was not accustomed to taking the necessary daily dosage of his anti-mind control potions. She walked out of the office, going straight towards the cabin where a number of people worked the documents for the minister to pass down. "Mike," she said, coming to stand beside a table as the guy looked up at her, removing his glasses.

"Yes?" he asked.

"Did you see who just came to meet the minister before me?" she asked.

"Oh, it was Dumbledore," Mike said. "Why do you ask?"

"Nothing," Amelia said before walking towards the elevator and then to her office, closing the door, sealing it with layers of privacy charms and sitting in her chair to take a strong shot of fire whiskey first before she sighed, rubbed her forehead as she closed her eyes and tried to lie comfortably at her chair to calm herself. She had no proof but Dumbledore had apparently used mind-control spell on Fudge to get information on Sirius' trial. It had to be that because only then would Fudge's vow would prevent any spell or potion from saying anything about it. The vow was made regarding Sirius' trial so this condition that Fudge was in was because someone had asked him about Sirius' trial and since Dumbledore was there before her in Fudge's office it had to be him.

But why? Why would Dumbledore want to seek information about Sirius' trial so badly that he had to use mind-control magic on the minister? Amelia knew Dumbledore always did things he didn't tell anyone about but tempering with legal business here was something she could not take sides with Dumbledore on this time. She didn't know what his reason was behind doing this but he was not helping the legal process this time and she had to serve her duties before serving anything else. But this was Dumbledore. She didn't know if he actually knew something or not. She looked down at the file she had prepared for the upcoming trial.

'Case number 30092356: Sirius Orion Black – accused of being in direct involvement in death of sixteen people including thirteen muggle and three magicals; accused of being a death eater under cover.

Case re-registered for an open public trial by member named Harry James Potter (emancipated) and backed by two seats of house Peverell and Gryffindor for Sirius Orion Black.

Justification of the case: under the understanding that the presently accused party was sentenced without a trial formerly.

She ringed the bell that was on her desk and a moment later her secretary popped in her head. "You wanted something, Madame Bones?"

"Call in an emergency Wizengmot meeting under my authorization for tomorrow," Amelia said. "Also, contact any press you can find who would like to print something surprising for today's evening edition."

The secretary nodded as Amelia lay back on her chair. This was a hasty move but it would at least not let anyone temper with the law.

00000

Dinner time was always an active one as students talked to each other about their day's activities, discussing the topics they'd been taught and other things. When the owls started to arrive carrying the evening edition of the Prophet for those who had subscribed for it the expression of shock on those students' faces was clearly visible. Others dwelled in as well and soon knew why that was as they shared the expressions as well. Everyone looked at Harry who was currently at the Gryffindor table with Hermione and Neville enjoying a delicious dinner. Someone passed Hermione the prophet who opened and read the headline. Harry read it, too.

**SIRIUS BLACK TO GET A PUBLIC TRIAL TOMORROW IN THE WIZENGMOT!**

It was then that an owl came and landed in front of him with a letter tied to its leg that it extended towards him. Harry untied the letter and opened to read it. It was an official Ministry letter under-signed by Amelia Bones informing and inviting him to tomorrow's trial and letting him know that he would be expected a little early as he was the initiator of this trial. He looked up at the head table to see different expressions on the face of the faculties as well but he only cared for Dumbledore who didn't look happy. Although it was hidden thanks to his long beard. Harry wondered if that was the reason why Dumbledore kept such long beard – to hide his expressions. He knew the old man wasn't happy about it. Harry had also received another letter, a personal one form Amelia which he knew he would have to read in the secrecy of his quarters so that would have to wait until after the dinner was over.

**00000**

**A/N: Thanks for reading…**


	7. Chapter 7

"You're ready to go?" Hermione asked.

"Can't say I am not nervous," Harry replied as he checked himself in the mirror once again as Hermione, Neville and Draco stood behind him. Draco had a frown on his face as he thought about what his father had told him to do. He had discussed this with Harry last night in private and Harry had assured him that Draco will be the one to get all of Sirius' fortune if Sirius decides to not have an heir of his own. He also told Draco that if Sirius had chosen Harry as his heir than Harry himself will make Draco the Head of house Black in Sirius' absence. To make him feel more comfortable he had also written Lucius a formal letter. Doing that made Draco feel a bit at ease although he still felt he had not lived up to his father's expectations regarding the job that he was given to complete. But things couldn't be changed now. Only Sirius being proven guilty could make things according to his father's wishes and Draco had little faith in that happening.

Harry turned around to look at his three friends who looked back at him. "The look suits you," Neville said. I wonder when I will get to wear that outfit as my own. Granny has kept mine in the locker saying I won't be wearing that until I was of age."

"I am already excited to see you in your house head-s outfit, Neville," Harry said with a smile. "Although I must say that it is not at all comfortable. Hell, I can't move my legs and hands properly."

Everyone but Draco laughed at that as Harry looked at the blond haired boy. He nodded as Draco nodded back. "See you soon," Harry said before walking over to the fireplace of his quarters. Since he was emancipated he had access to a private floo network in case he needed to go somewhere or call someone in although, it would be only possible if the wards of the castle allowed it.

Harry picked up a pinch of floo powder and threw it in the fireplace speaking the name of the ministry of magic as green flames erupted inside the fireplace. He turned to look at his friends once more before walking into the flame and disappearing along with it.

00000

When Harry emerged from the floo into the ministry atrium he was at once surrounded by reporters and photographers who bombarded him with questions he couldn't even understand in the crowd's voice. A minute later a small group of aurors came and guided him to the elevator that took him to the third floor where the Wizengmot's emergency meeting and Sirius' trial was to take place.

When Amelia bones looked at Harry she saw an exact reflection of both James and lily in him which made her throat fill for a moment as her eyes shone with a little moisture. She immediately contained herself as Harry stepped out of the elevator with the small group of aurors and extended her hand. "As Director of Department of Magical Law Enforcement, I, Amelia Bones, welcome you to the ministry of magic, Lord Potter."

"I appreciate it, Madame Bones," Harry said, "and please call me Harry. There's no need for any formalities. I am already getting tired of wearing this outfit that I have to for being in Wizengmot."

Amelia smiled. "I know it is not as comfortable as it looks, Mr Potter," she said, "but being a member of the Wizengmot also makes you a representative of your house or should I say houses as you hold three seats inside that hall," she said, pointing towards a closed gate. "Although it is still not time to go in there, yet."

"That I understand," Harry said. "So, where to?"

Amelia turned and took towards the corridor on the left as Harry closely followed her. They were being followed by the same aurors who had escorted Harry over to the third floor. From what Harry came to know they were Amelia's official guards. "I would apologize if you thought that being brought here by my personal guards was a bit too much but we cannot be not careful enough," she said.

"I guess something happened?" Harry asked.

Amelia sighed. She then cast a privacy ward around herself and Harry which Harry thought was odd as there were only Amelia's guards with them. "When you sent me that letter asking to look into Sirius' case and enforcing your will as a member of the Wizengmot I knew something was up. I remember you read the letter I sent you back?" Harry nodded. "I had to get a clearance from the minister in order to get access to some files buried deep in the record rooms," she said. "Since Sirius' case was something of a more heinous one according to the then passed sentence only Fudge's permission could allow me to have access to those files. Once I got my hands on them I had to convince and realized that what you'd said about Sirius incarcerated without a fair trial was true I had to make sure no one tampered with the case.

"I had to involve Fudge in it too because he had already known and he's too corrupt to be trusted with anything so I manipulated him into making an unbreakable oath to me that he will not discuss about the trial until after it was finished." Harry raised her eyebrows at her when he heard that. "Don't judge me too soon," she said with a faint smile. "There was a reason why I had to move the trial to today instead of the coming week. I didn't want to write it in the letter to you because I had a feeling it might get intercepted."

"Someone tampered with the case?" Harry asked.

"Someone tried," Amelia said. "I think it was Albus Dumbledore although I don't want to believe it."

"What makes you think he will do something like that?" Harry asked, already knowing where it was headed.

"Yesterday after completing all the documentation related to the trial I went to the minister's office to inform him of the proceedings," Amelia said. When I reached his office I found him and his secretary in a catatonic kind of state."

"What do you mean?" Harry asked.

Amelia sighed. "Mr Potter, I know you are an emancipated minor but a minor nevertheless and a first year Hogwarts student," she said.

"What did you find Madame Bones?" Harry asked his voice more tough and demanding. She looked at him with surprise for a moment.

"When a person or a group of people are bound magically to not talk about anything or anyone either by means of a magical contract or merely by an unbreakable oath and if someone tries to get it out of them through means of mental magic like the unforgivable imperius curse or love potion or memory erasing charm that person's core responds abnormally," Amelia said.

"Meaning?" Harry asked, already knowing what happened.

"Meaning that the person cannot tell or talk about the happenings that he's been bound to not speak about but because of the spells forcing him to talk he goes into a state of mental shock or catatonia," Amelia said.

"So someone tried to force out information regarding Sirius' trial from the minister?" Harry asked.

"I asked around and…" she paused.

"And?" Harry said.

"Don't think of me in the wrong way, Mr Potter…"

"What did you find, Madame Bones?" Harry demanded.

"Al…Albus Dumbledore," Amelia said. "I asked people working outside the minister's office and they said they saw Dumbledore walk into and out of the minister's office before I came there." Harry looked ahead without responding. "I know this might come as a shock to you but I am telling you what I found. I also cross-checked the ministerial wards where it was confirmed that Dumbledore had, indeed, been in the minister's office before me as the minister's office has a separate set of wards around for extra security."

"How long till the trial starts?" Harry asked.

"About an hour," Amelia said.

"Madame Bones, seeing that you were friends with my parents and Sirius I need to ask something of you," Harry said.

"What is it?" she asked.

"I need you to vote in my favor during Sirius' trial," Harry asked. "Before you ask why I can assure you that he is completely innocent and that Barty Crouch was the one responsible for sacking him up ten years ago. I have complete faith in my godfather and his innocence."

Amelia nodded. "Anything else?" she asked.

"How many can get behind us inside that hall?" Harry asked.

"We don't have many," Amelia said. "Although every family on the light side will take our side if they are convinced that Sirius is indeed innocent. I cannot say about the rest."

"I guess we'll have to see," Harry said as they reached the room where they kept trial awaiting prisoners. When Amelia opened the door there was only one person inside that room and in the cell and he was currently facing the wall, tapping his head on it from time to time mumbling something. Harry looked at Amelia.

"He's been like that ever since we brought him here," she said with a sad smile. "He's loads better, though, considering how he was in Azkaban."

Harry walked in slowly, preparing himself to meet his godfather. He walked close up to his cell. The aurors looked at Amelia. She looked at them with eyes that said everything was alright. Harry stood near the cell, one of his hands gripping the bar lightly as he looked at his godfather. "Sirius," he said slowly.

The black haired bearded man turned around to see a young kid looking down at him. He didn't need to ask who this kid was as he immediately recognized that face and those eyes. "Ha…Harry…Harry?" he mumbled. No voice came from his mouth but air and gasp as he tried to clear his throat while trying to stand up at the same time. He stumbled and took the support of the wall to prevent himself from falling. Harry flinched inside seeing his godfather in this condition but he couldn't do anything up until the trial was over and Sirius was a free man.

"It's me, Sirius," Harry said slowly as Sirius somehow made it over to him, both his hands gripping the bars of the cell as tightly as they could to prevent him from falling. Harry could see he was shaking from head to toe. He was dirty and he smelled and it looked as if he hadn't eaten anything in days. He looked at Amelia who immediately knew why Harry was looking at her.

"He's been given dosage of replenishing potions," she said. "His body is has still not adjusted and healed enough to have solid food."

"They didn't feed him in Azkaban?" Harry asked.

"He was in a highly secured part of the prison," Amelia said as she and Harry looked at Sirius who hadn't removed his eyes off of Harry ever since he'd seen him. "The guards often forget to take the food there as there's generally no prisoner there. I promise you we will look into it, Mr Potter."

Harry didn't reply but looked at Sirius. If he didn't have control on himself Harry would've broken right there. "Everything will be fine, Sirius," he told his godfather. "You will be a free man after today. All you have to do is tell the truth. I will be there in the hall the whole time along with Amelia, Madame Longbottom and other light-side families. I don't have much time to talk with you before the trial so I am gonna go now. Can I count on you to be yourself and tell nothing but the truth when you are brought into the court?"

Sirius broke down in tears as he nodded his head slowly. Harry knew he wasn't allowed to touch him in here so he only placed his forehead on the bar where Sirius' forehead was as he looked into his godfather's eyes. "Everything will be fine. I promise you as a Potter."

Sirius opened his eyes and looked back at him. "Ja…James?" he muttered.

"It's time, Mr Potter," Amelia said. Harry looked at Sirius before walking away from the cell as his godfather kept looking at him with wide eyes. Harry turned around and left the room.

"Can I count on you to have this room secured?" he asked the aurors.

"Don't worry, Mr Potter," Amelia said, looking sternly at the guards. "I can assure you that if anything happens to Sirius Black these guards will first be directly answering to me." the guards visibly shook under her stern gaze as Harry nodded and walked away with her.

00000

The commotion hadn't died down at all inside the hall of Wizengmot – the most powerful body of the ministry of magic of the magical Britain. This was the place where the laws were made and where the trials took place. There was no certain judge as the members decided whether the accused was guilty or not. When Dumbledore entered the hall he was a bit surprised to see how many members had actually come. He was wondering there would be a lot less than this but it wasn't.

He looked around from his post as the Chief Warlock which sounded cool but actually wasn't. All he did was shout out at the body to stay in order, hit the wooden hammer on the table and announce the verdict and the happenings taking place inside the hall during any trial or passing down of any bill or new regulations.

He saw the seat of the house of Black was empty. It would've been him sitting there right now as a proxy to that house like he was many back in the days but Walburga Black was a tough lady. She not only kicked Sirius out of the family but also died without appointing any proxy to the house. Currently young Draco was in line to take in the mantle of the noble house of the Black and Dumbledore was sure Lucius would've played his part in making sure the jury went against Harry's appeal. Speaking of the devil he wasn't here yet but Dumbledore knew Harry had left before him to come here.

It was then that Dumbledore turned around towards the entrance as Harry walked in with Amelia whose auror guards stood outside the gate. They both walked in as people looked at them or more specifically Harry and low murmur started. Harry ignored it all, even Dumbledore which the old man didn't like at all as he moved over to his seat. He sat in the middle of the three empty seats that were under his claim as they were the seats of house Gryffindor and house Peverell. He sat on the house Potter seat as he wore the robes of Potter house today. He looked straight ahead, ignoring the looks people on either side of him were giving him. Dumbledore looked at Harry, hoping that the boy would look at him. Perhaps he could then use a little legilimence to peek inside that boy's head to figure out was he was thinking but that was risky.

The caliber, independence and power this boy had shown ever since coming to Hogwarts there was no telling if Harry was also known in the field of mental probing. If Dumbledore was to be caught peeking into Harry's head right now then things would be disastrous. The minister would obviously not take his side and then there were many members sitting here who had their scores to settle with him. The risk wasn't worth it.

"Everyone in place?" Amelia's voice boomed inside the hall. Dumbledore and a few others walked back to their respective places. Once everyone had settled under the eyes of Amelia she cleared her throat. "Case 30092356: Accused – Sirius Orion Black; Crime – aiding a high ranking criminal and involvement in murder of three…two magicals and eleven muggles. Date of crime – 31st October, 1981. Sentenced for life under maximum security in Azkaban Prison. Plea for trial submitted by seats of house Potter, Gryffindor and Peverell under the control of Harry James Potter, emancipated. The interrogators for the case are respected Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge, Director of Department of Magical Law Enforcement Amelia Bones and Head of International Magical Cooperation Bartemius Crouch Senior. Defense for the case presents Head of houses Potter, Gryffindor and Peverell Lord Harry James Potter, emancipated. Defense plea – unfair prosecution of said accused Sirius Orion Black with a plea for innocence."

Everyone was quiet. They looked at Harry and then at the chair where Sirius would be made to sit any moment now. Amelia paused for a minute before closing the present case file from which she'd read the day's trial. "I would request Lord Potter, the case defense party to please come down to the platform of jurisdiction."

Harry stood up as he straightened his robe before calmly walking down the stairs to come and stand under the magical spotlight of the platform where beside him was kept a chair with shackles. The shackles had runes that bind magic so the person sitting in the chair couldn't use his magic to break free. Other than that the shackles were inhumanely huge and thick as if they were meant for giants and trolls.

"Do you, Harry James Potter, Lord and head of houses Potter, Gryffindor and Peverell, wish to change your decision about your plea to the Wizengmot body?" Amelia asked.

"No," Harry replied.

Amelia nodded looking at the boy before gulping down a load that was in her throat as she cleared her voice. "Bring in the accused!" she said a bit loudly as Harry and everyone else turned to look at the door.

Sirius was brought in by two aurors who had their wands pointed at him. He was in shackles, as thick as the ones on the chair. Other than the two aurors there were five more behind him, their wands pointed at his back with a good safe distance between them and him. He looked up at Harry and wet his eyes again. Harry nodded once before stepping backwards a little so they could bring Sirius over to the chair where he was relieved of his shackles and was shackled again in the chair. A small test that the runes on the shackles were working ensured that it was safe for the aurors to leave the hall as the door closed behind them and silence once again filled the completely filled hall as everyone watched the thin, dirty long haired man sitting on the chair with his head hung low. He had not enough energy to look up at the members. Under the silence his heavy breathing could be heard quite clearly and loudly when Dumbledore's gravel made the sound followed by his voice.

"The court is now in session!" he said before banging the gravel once again.

"State your name to the present body," Amelia said, standing up.

"Sirius Orion Black," Sirius said with barely a whisper but it was loud enough for everyone to hear.

"State your charges," Amelia said.

"Betrayal of my best friends and their son," Sirius said, "helping the dark lord going by the name of Voldemort (everyone's gasp filled the hall but they all settled down under Amelia's glare) and involvement in murder of eleven muggles."

"How do you plead to these charges?" she asked.

"Not guilty," Sirius said.

"The session will now begin," Amelia said before taking her seat. As soon as she had sat Barty Sr. stood up at his place.

"Mr Black," he said, looking at the case file, "when you were accused of the crime I sat at this exact place in the role of an interrogator. Would you like to tell me what changed between then and now?"

"As defense for Mr Black I would like to speak on his behalf," Harry said, stepping forward.

"Granted," Fudge said.

"The night my godfa…Mr Black was brought to this very hall he was denied of the very right of every single individual of Magical Britain," Harry said. "He was denied the right to have a fair trial. You were there," he said, looking at Senior, "and so were many of you. Yes, it was almost ten years ago but who can forget the sentencing of a man who betrayed the very people the society deemed as their saviors from the terrors of a criminal dark wizard? I would like to ask Mr Black about what exactly happened that night according to his point of view."

"Respond, Mr Black," Fudge said.

"I was…we were all worried about him…Harry," Sirius said. "We had reason to believe that Voldemort was trying to target the Potters so…so we decided to go under hiding using the fidilius charm. It was…it was decided that I was to be the secret keeper but then we changed it. We did it in the very morning of that Halloween night and secretly replaced Peter Pettigrew, another friend of ours (his face twitched in pure rage) for me because I was the obvious choice and the death eaters would target me to know where the Potters were hiding.

"I was told to go in hiding as well by James," he said. "The Potters and we were all prepared. I had a conversation mirror with me whose other end was tied to James' and we were in contact using that. At night James contacted me saying that their hideout had been busted by the death eaters. I could hear the explosions and spells being cast behind him. He was there only for a few seconds before the connection was lost. I hurried over to Godric's Hollow, the hiding place of the Potters and found it burning completely. There was the upper half body of Voldemort lying on the streets. I ignored everything and ran inside…" he then completely broke down.

"I would like to put a request for veritaserum to the accused," Harry said in a flat tone.

"Are you sure about that, Mr Potter?" Amelia asked, looking shocked. She had not expected that the defense would request for the administration of truth serum on their subject. Everyone else was shocked as well. "Mr Black," Amelia called Sirius, "how would you respond to the administration of veritaserum on you? You are to be reminded that the request has been put by your own defense."

"I…I cannot continue like…like this," James said between cries. "I would like ….give me the serum."

Amelia nodded, looking a little worried just like a few in the hall. She nodded to a ministry official standing in one corner who walked over to Sirius and dropped three drops of the truth serum. Sirius' eyes glazed before he went completely calm and quiet.

"State your name to the court," Amelia said.

"Sirius Orion Black," Sirius said.

"How do you plead to your charges?" she asked again.

"Not guilty," he replied.

She looked at Fudge and Barty who both looked back at her. "Should we continue?" Barty asked.

"I need to know what happened," Fudge said. "If Bagnold put him in without a trial than I need to know."

Amelia rolled her eyes before looking back at Sirius. "Whatever you told us up until now about that night of Halloween is that true?" she asked.

"It is," Sirius said in a flat tone. There were some gasps heard in the audience of the Wizengmot members but Amelia and Harry ignored it.

"Please continue," Amelia said.

"I ran inside the house looking for James, Lily and Harry," Sirius said in a flat tone. "I found three completely burnt bodies, two of them completely turned to ashes. The third body was that of a child. I took it and came out of the house, devastated over what had happened. I held on to that small burnt baby-looking thing thinking it was my godson Harry. I had lost it all that night. It was my fault that they had died. I should've been there. If I had stopped them from changing the keeper then that should not have happened. Peter sold us out."

"Peter Pettigrew, your other close friend?" Barty asked.

"He's not my friend!" Sirius said. Even under the influence of the truth serum his rage was quite visible. His entire face was twitching in rage and anger as it had started to turn red. "He is the death eater who we unknowingly made the Potters' secret keeper. He led Voldemort to them and is directly responsible for their death."

"What about your trial?" Fudge asked. "Were you given one?"

"I was not given any trial," Sirius said. "When the aurors found me I was crying very hard screaming that it was my fault that they had died. They took it as a sort of my confession to the crime thinking that I was their secret keeper and took me in custody. I was brought to the ministry where everyone was enjoying the news of Voldemort's death. When it was told what I had done the then minister Millicent Bagnold sentenced me to a life sentence under maximum security in Azkaban. Barty Crouch Sr. was there that night with her as she carried out the sentence while I heard her talking to her peers about how that news of me betraying the Potters will be made public the next day."

"So you received no trial for your accusation?" Harry asked.

"I did not," Sirius said.

"I think that says it all?" Harry asked, looking at the three interrogators.

"What do you think?" Amelia asked.

"I think it is proved that Bagnold made a mistake, a huge mistake," Fudge said. "I will be looking into the matters but for now I think the trial's done. We should move on to the voting."

"Crouch?" Amelia asked looking at the hat wearing man who looked defeated somewhat. "We all understand your guilt but now's not the time for that. We're interrogators in a trial. What is your decision?"

"No more questions," Senior said. "I am satisfied with his answers. Let the voting begin."

Amelia nodded. "The interrogation ceases for this trial session," she said. "Those in favor of Sirius Black being guilty?"

Only a few hands were rose. Harry, Amelia and Dumbledore were surprised that many who didn't raised their hands were dark families.

"Those in favor of Mr Black's plea for innocence?" Amelia asked. More than half of Wizengmot raised their hands. It was a clear win for Sirius but what was shocking was to see Lucius Malfoy voting in favor of Sirius. Sirius had his head hanging low so he could not see it. Harry was sure he would flip out if he had. Harry looked at Lucius who looked back at him. Harry nodded to him slowly before Amelia's voice boomed once more. "Case 30092356, re-trialed sees Sirius Orion Black as an innocent. All accusations previously charged on him are removed. For the wrongful sentencing of an innocent man the ministry will pay Mr Black a sum of one hundred thousand galleons for the next twenty years on a two-month period gap. The interrogation body apologizes to Mr Black for this mistreatment."

Everyone then rose as Dumbledore banged his gravel while rolling his eyes, marking the end of the trial. The minister signed the legal declaration stating Sirius' innocence being legit and proven with facts before giving it to a ministry official to make it official. Two aurors came into the hall and freed Sirius from the shackles as Harry made him stand by supporting him. "I got you," he said, grunting a little over Sirius' weight but was surprised how light he was. "Let's get you home, godfather."

"Don't call me that, pup," Sirius whispered in a dry tone. "I'm not that old yet."

"You sure look though," Harry said as Amelia came by her side, walking with them.

"I will make sure you're not bothered by the crowd outside," she said.

"We'll appreciate it, Madame Bones," Harry said.

"It's nice to have you back, Sirius," she said, looking sadly at her friend.

"It's nice to be back," Sirius said as a group of aurors surrounded them before the doors opened.

Just like they had expected a huge crowd of reporters photographers waited for them to come out. The aurors took care of everything as Harry and Amelia supported Sirius out of there. "Where will you take him?" she asked Harry.

"I have a place in mind," Harry said. "Until he recovers he will be there." Amelia nodded as she and the aurors led them to the floo area from where Harry took Sirius away leaving behind an unsatisfied crowd of reporters who never got a direct response from Harry or Sirius. When Fudge came out, however, the minister was much pleased to answer all of their questions. How could he not? he had just served justice to a man who was subjected to injustice in Bagnold's time.

00000

Sirius felt the effects of the floo travel and in his present condition it did not sit well with him as he threw up whatever little was inside his stomach as soon as they arrived to their destination. His head was hurting like hell and he was feeling dizzy. He could not focus as he dropped unconscious on the cold tiled floor.

An elf popped in front of them as it looked at Harry. "Take care of him, please?" Harry said.

"Yes, Master Potter," the elf said before taking Sirius away.

"Looks like Bart is not home," Harry said to himself as he looked around. "Guess I'll come back." He turned around and throwing a pinch worth of floo powder called for the Leaky Cauldron. From there he used the floo network to go back to Hogsmead and from there he used the floo network to floo back to his quarters to avoid floo detection by Dumbledore. As soon as he was inside his quarters he removed the uncomfortable robe and uniforms of his formal house wear before changing to something a lot more comfortable. Hermione and others were probably in class and so was Draco. He looked at the time. Lunch had just ended. He decided to skip the entire day's class as he got on the bed and took out a book from his trunk and began to read it.

00000

Lucius entered his study as he hanged his house's robe on the hanger by the door. It was his daily wear to wherever he went to. Walking over to his table he looked at the opened envelop. He had received it this morning. Glancing at it for over a minute he then walked over to a secret compartment cleverly built in his book-rack where he pressed a small lever down, opening a secret door behind the huge painting of Salazar Slytherin. Behind the painting was a huge locker where he kept all his valuables. Unlocking the door using a drop of his blood he opened the huge heavy doors of the locker. Inside were different compartments, each with their own doors with one big compartment in the middle. Using the key that was hanging inside the locker doors he opened the large compartment locker and pulled out the old leather diary. He looked at it for a minute turning it over to see the initials of the man it belonged to.

He could feel the possession of the diary over him as Lucius thought about certain things inside his head. Closing the locker he brought the diary over to his table where he packed it in a runic case meant to bind magic and prevent any leak of magic as he then covered the case with black leather before putting it in a magically extended pouch that was the size of a man-purse. He then shrunk it before putting it in an envelope that already had the letter which he had written to the receiver.

Walking over to his owl's perch he touched his house's ring to the crest his owl wore as a symbol of it being owned by the house Malfoy before Lucius tied the letter to its leg. Making sure there were enough charms and spells securing the letter he let the owl fly away, watching it disappear amongst the clouds from his window. A bead of swear rolled down his forehead under his chin and inside his shirt as he gulped down the load that had formed inside his throat.

"It better work," he muttered before walking away from the window as it closed itself.

**00000**

**A/N: Thanks for reading…**


	8. Chapter 8

The warm feeling of the silk blanket with a confortable mattress on his back made Sirius feel as if he was in a dream. But he had not dreamt anything like this for years. Had something changed? He then noticed that everything was very quiet as well. There were no sounds coming except for the sound of light breeze perhaps from an open window somewhere. As he tried to move a little bit be felt the silk rubbing off of his chest and stomach even more, giving him a soothing feel. It was then re realized that he was actually awake and had only his eyes closed.

Sirius opened his eyes slowly, waiting for his sight to adjust as he felt a little light headed and weak physically. In front of him was the ceiling, pretty plain looking and white. He slid to sit up on the bed, realizing he was actually on a comfortable bed that was also very huge. The mattress, the pillows and everything looked very expensive. He looked around the room. There wasn't much in it except for a table and chair on the opposite side with an attached bathroom. He then noticed muggle lightings on the walls and then saw a battery operated wall clock and a few more muggle electronic items placed neatly on the table.

Suddenly the door opened and Sirius turned his head to look at the man who entered the room. He looked old, older than any other human Sirius had ever seen. He also wondered that if this person ever had long hair and beard then he'd look exactly like Dumbledore. But actually this guy looked pretty smart in muggle outfit. He had his hair cut short and a stylish white beard and moustache made him look years younger.

The man smiled as he looked at Sirius. "I see you're awake," he said.

"Where…" Sirius tried to said but his throat was very dry and he began to cough. The glass of water that was sitting on his bedside table came to him floating in thin air. Sirius grabbed it taking a few short sips of the water allowing it to wet his throat. He also felt very thirsty but didn't drink the entire water worried he might throw it all out as he had an empty stomach.

"Where am I?" he asked again, this time a lot clearer and easier. "Who are you?"

"Before we start with that," the man said, walking in a bit closer to Sirius as the only chair in the room came sliding to stop beside his bed as the man sat on it, "can you tell me what can you remember?"

Sirius didn't want to answer this stranger's questions but he thought he had no other choice. He was feeling weak and dizzy with no wand…he had his wand ripped from him the night the aurors took him to custody.

"Custody…" he mumbled, Sirius, as he remembered a little. "The trial," he said, looking up at that man. "I was at my trial at the ministry. Harry was…Harry, where's Harry?" he asked quickly.

"Harry's fine," the man said. "He's back at Hogwarts. He's entrusted me to take care of you."

"Who are you?" Sirius asked.

"Oh, where are my manners," the man said, sitting up straighter. "My name is Bartholomew Byron but you can call me Bart. I am an acquaintance of Harry, your godson and like I said he's asked me to look after you until you are better both physically and mentally."

"You know Harry?" Sirius asked.

"I believe I just said that," Bart said. "How are you feeling by the way?"

"Weak, dizzy and extremely tired," Sirius mumbled his eyes half closed.

"Well you will feel like new again in no time Mr Black," Bart said. "All you have to do is eat well and sleep well. I have your clothes ready if you'd like to wear them."

"Why wouldn't I wear my clothes?" Sirius asked. "Did you bring me here? What is this place and when can I see Harry?"

"Boy do you have a lot of questions!" Bart said. "But don't panic. I suppose telling you about Harry would make you feel more at ease, now that you've been declared innocent." He handed him the morning Prophet edition.

Sirius took the paper and opened it but found nothing. He flipped the pages but there was nothing about the trial. He looked at Bart with a ridiculous expression. "There's nothing in it," he said.

"What?" Bart said, taking back the paper before laughing. "Oh, pardon me. This is today's paper."

"What do you mean?" Sirius asked as an elf popped into the room surprising Sirius for a moment as the little creature handed Bart an old copy of the Prophet.

"Ah, this is the one," Bart said looking at the date before giving it to Sirius. Here, a week old edition."

"A week?" Sirius asked, taking the paper before opening it to see his and Harry's picture that saw them going out of the ministry from the middle of the crowd of eager reporters and photographers. He then looked at the date. "What day is it? How long have I been here?"

"It's been little close to a week, six days to be exact," Bart said.

"I was out for six days?" Sirius said loudly.

"Calm down," Bart said. "Taking strain is bad for you right now. Yes, you've been here for six days. When Harry brought you here you were in a really bad shape. Your core had taken a serious hit as you were not given enough nutrition. Add to that your prolonged stay in Azkaban, you're a mess. We had to give you really small dosage of replenishing potions every four hours making sure to not give too much or else your body would reject it. For the first two days you didn't recover at all until the end of the second day. Harry stayed here for four whole days but then he had to go back to Hogwarts. You are at the residence of the ancient and noble house of Potters, Mr Black."

"I'm where?" Sirius asked although he had heard him correctly. He couldn't believe he was at Potter Manor. He had never been here before. James had promised once but they couldn't for some reason and ever since then it had been a moot plan. Sirius had figured it out that James didn't like it here for some reason because whenever they'd talk about it he'd lose interest.

"Well you better believe it, Mr Black," Bart said. "Your godson has gained his emancipation and is now legally the head of the three houses. That involves him owning this manor which was built by the second generation Potters centuries ago."

Sirius couldn't find words to say as he looked inside the room. He then saw the window. The curtains were dropped so he tried to get up. Bart immediately was on his side. "You shouldn't get up yet, Mr Black," he said. "Your body is still too weak for you to be doing any type of physical activity."

Sirius wanted to argue but he had no energy so he simply lay back down. "How much longer do I have to stay in this room?" he asked.

"That should be three to four more days," Bart said. "Although this is where you will live for now."

"Why's that?" Sirius asked.

"For several reasons like you're not actually the heir of house Black anymore," Bart said casually, "or the fact that you don't have anywhere else to live. Your godson made it specifically clear that you had to live here until later arrangements can be made."

"What arrangements?" he asked.

"That only he knows," Bart said. "He's a mature kid, your godson. I am eager for the two of you to meet now that you're awake and I would love to see your reaction when you realize how much he's grown."

"I figured that when he appealed for my trial," Sirius said.

"Oh, he's more than that," Bart said. He then clapped as an elf popped in the room with a tray of food. There was little food in the tray as Sirius' body wasn't yet ready to have a heavy food intake. There was a cup of orange juice, one slice of bread and one boiled egg. Sirius eagerly ate although he did slow down after Bart told him to. He did feel a bit better about twenty minutes later as he lay back under the silk blanket. The tiredness hadn't left him so sleep came to him rather quickly as Bart left him to sleep for the rest of the afternoon.

00000

As the students ended their day at the study group and headed out Seamus and Dean came to Harry looking nervous. "What is it?" Harry asked.

"Ron told us to tell you that he is willing to join this group," Dean said.

Harry looked at them for a moment before speaking. "Well, if that's the case then please inform him that if he wants to join this group then he will have to personally come and talk about it with us. And don't do his work you guys. You're both better than this."

The two looked at each other before nodding at Harry. "What was that about?" Hermione asked as she came and stood beside Harry, looking at Dean and Seamus go.

"Ron wishes to join this group," Harry said. "He told Dean and Seamus to talk to me about that. I told them to tell Ron to personally come if he's willing to join. Will you be okay with that?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" Hermione said. "You cannot stop someone from studying. Education is everyone's right."

"Hopefully Ron thinks the same way as you," Harry said.

"If he's even capable of thinking than that's good enough for me," Draco said joining the two. "You really want to let him in on this group? We're going real good without him."

"It's just like Hermione said," Harry said. "Education is everyone's right. And even if he plans to pull something or intends to disturb the environment of this group then he'll pay for those deeds thanks to the contract that he'll have to sign."

"Forgot about that part," Draco said. "Would love to see those freckles on his face!"

"That's not good, thinking about someone like that, Draco," Hermione said. Both Draco and Harry gave her a look of surprise. "Not that I'm complaining," she muttered.

"You got a crush on Weasel boy?" Draco asked.

"Eew! Don't even say that ever again," Hermione said, making a disgusting face on the mention.

Harry and Draco shared a smile as Neville joined them after he was done clearing Susan's doubt in herbology. "What did I miss?" he asked.

"Nothing much," Harry said.

"Weasel boy wants to join this group," Draco said.

"Are you guys sure about that?' Neville asked.

"If he does something he'll pay," Hermione said casually.

"How's Sirius?" Draco asked. "My father was wondering when he could talk to him."

"He's still recuperating," Harry said. "I think we can arrange a meeting in about a month. How does that sound?"

"I'll ask father," Draco said as he started to leave Harry's quarters.

"What as that about?" Hermione asked.

"You made some sort of deal with Draco's father?" Neville asked.

"It's just casual noble house business," Harry said. "I had to convince Lucius to take our side during the trial so as to free Sirius."

"What did you promise in return?" Neville asked nervously as Hermione looked at them a bit confused.

"I promised him I will convince Sirius to not make me a part of his fortune's recipient and let Draco have it all as Draco's mother is Sirius' cousin," Harry said. "Of course, it happens if Sirius doesn't have his own child."

"Are you okay with that?" Hermione said.

"Why wouldn't I be?" he asked. "Managing three noble houses is enough tiring as it is. To think that I will have a fourth one will surely suck me out dry. Besides, it was worth it. Lucius had a good number of backing and going against him was a lot riskier than this deal that I made with him."

"Making deals for your own benefit is a part of Wizengmot members," Neville said for Hermione to understand. "It's politics and you know you're on dangerous grounds by making a deal with your rival or enemy but if it gives you your desired result than the risk is worth it although if the risk is less than what you are to gain from the temporary alliance."

"I would have done anything for Sirius' freedom," Harry said. "Besides Draco has been good up till now and so this is my way of showing my gratitude to him. Who knows we may need his father's help again in near future."

"Are you sure you're eleven?" Hermione asked.

"The hat was right sorting him in Slytherin," Neville said. "Now I am feeling jealous of you Harry however my grandma would love to meet you. You can easily impress her."

"She also voted for Sirius' freedom," Harry said. "I still haven't thanked her. Perhaps a letter should be on her way from me."

"I think you should do that," Neville said.

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Ron was pissed. He was denied yet again. How was he supposed to fulfill his task if people kept ignoring and denying his wishes? This wasn't even his wish. Ron was starting to think he should've negotiated with Dumbledore. He should've asked for more candy as this job was turning out to be a lot more difficult. Potter was surely getting more and more arrogant. He could've easily accepted Ron's willingness to join the group but no. That boy had to meet him face to face. Ron was not ready for that so he had another plan in his head. Potter wasn't the only leader of the group.

Ron's wait ended when Neville entered the dorm after dinner. Dean and Seamus weren't inside the dorm yet so this was the perfect opportunity. Ron got off his bed, surprising Neville for a moment as he had his arm around the round faced boy. "Hey, Neville," he said. "I needed to talk to you about something."

"What is it?" Neville asked.

"I suppose by now you'd have known that I want to join this study group of yours," Ron said. "I didn't want to but my grades are falling and all the professors have told me to join the group if it helps me in any way."

"And so you sent Dean and Seamus to talk for you," Neville said. "It doesn't work like that, Ron. We have some rules in the group. Rules that everyone as too follow if one wants to be a part of the group."

"So I've heard," Ron said, clenching his palm into a fist behind Neville's back in anger. "This is why I am talking to you. Can you get me into your group?"

"Not on my own," Neville said.

"But aren't you the leader?" Ron asked.

"One of the leaders and no, we don't have leaders," Neville said. "Yes, Hermione, I, Harry and Draco started that group so if anyone wants to join now, after everyone else has joined you'd have to be approved by three out of the four of us."

"What is this? Is this some kind of a talent show?" Ron asked, remembering watching a reality show in his father's office that one time he had went to the ministry. His father really enjoyed it but he didn't. It had muggles doing weird and crazy things and a group of people sat and discussed whether or not to take them in.

"If you want to join the group then you'll have to talk to all of us," Neville said. "I am sorry but you could've avoided it if you'd joined with the rest of the others a month ago."

Ron rolled his eyes. This got even harder. He would have to negotiate with Dumbledore for more candies. "What time should I come and meet you guys?" he asked politely although from the inside he was raging like hell. He wondered why he agreed to do this but then the image of sacks full of candy floated in his head.

Tomorrow after Charms," Neville said. "We have a combined class with Slytherin so Draco will be there too."

"Fine," Ron muttered. "Good night then."

"Good night," Neville said as he watched Ron get on his bed and drawing the curtains. He shook his head before going to his own bed, ready to sleep.

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Dumbledore had tried everything. None of his contacts and informers knew anything about Sirius' location. Merlin knows where Harry had taken him. He had asked Harry after he'd returned four days later of the trial but the boy had just said that he was at a safe place he didn't intend to let others know for Sirius' own safety. Damn that smart-arse! If things weren't only bad enough now this had to happen. Dumbledore was surprised why no one at the ministry had thought enough to even inform him about the trial. To think that even Lucius and his friends at Wizengmot sided with Harry during the trial had shocked him completely.

He could sense something building up and he didn't like it at all that he wasn't a part of the group of people who had knowledge about it.

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"What is he doing?"

"I don't know, my lord," Pettigrew said. "I asked everyone but even they didn't seem to know."

"Making him in charge was perhaps a mistake. Had only Bella not got incarcerated than things would've been different."

"What do we do?" Peter asked.

"Unless I can get a new body I cannot do anything. Perhaps a visit to that old man would result in something."

"Who?" Peter asked.

"You've been a loyal servant, Wormtail but this is something I have to do on my own. Did you complete the preparation?"

"Yes," Peter said. "She is ready."

"I hope she likes this trip."

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Harry woke up pulling out his communication mirror which was vibrating. "What is it?" he asked Bart who was on the other side.

"He's making a move," Bart said.

"Where?" Harry asked.

"Paris," Bart said. "3rd arrondissement of Paris."

"Isn't he too weak to make a move?" Harry asked.

"He's figured out about the true power of the stone so I don't think anything would be stopping him," Bart said. "You don't have to do this if you don't want to."

"You know I have to," Harry said. "I made a choice. I have to live by it." Bart sighed, nodding.

Are you sure you can travel that far?" Bart asked.

"Three jumps," Harry said. "For being undetected I will jump three times with gaps. That should do it."

"France's magical security is tighter," Bart said. "Be careful."

"You know I will," Harry said as the call was cut. He put down the mirror thinking about something for a whole minute before getting off of his bed. He looked at the time. It was close to one in the night. He would have to return before the breakfast starts or else people would become interested why he was late for the class.

00000

When Nicholas Flammel found his wards being tampered with he was ready to welcome whoever it was who had tried to break in to his house. Since this was a muggle neighborhood he couldn't go all out however, that didn't mean he would give this intruder an easy access to whatever he needed.

He sensed three presence, one a magical creature and another, an animagus. The third presence confused him a little bit. It was as if this person wasn't even there. Nicholas felt very little presence of a soul inside this person.

As a flash of light took place Nicholas' shield was already up, bouncing off the spell that was cast on him. He then dodged the huge snake about to bite him a moment later. He looked at the man. He had big front two teeth and his nose twitched. The animagus. He was carrying something in his hands, looked like a baby but whatever this was Nicholas didn't get anything good from feeling its magic and presence.

"What do you want?" he asked Peter.

"Why do you think any wizard with intrude into your house?" Peter said, his wand pointed at Nicholas.

"My potions and runes?" Nicholas asked.

"Where's the stone?" a hissing voice echoed inside the house.

"My lord, you must save your energy," Peter said, talking to the doll-sized whatever it was that he had in his arms rolled in some dirty cloth.

"Tom Riddle!" Nicholas said. "Does Dumbledore know you are here?"

"I do not answer to that name!" Voldemort hissed in anger.

"Still behaving like a child," Nicholas said. "I am sorry I can't give you the stone."

"Then we will take it after we kill you," Peter said. "You've lived long enough."

As he was about to fire the killing curse the entire house shook and Nicholas almost fell, taking support of the furniture behind him. Peter looked around alarmed as he gripped his master tighter, ignoring his painful groans. Nagini came and curled up beside Peter's legs as the wards around the house shattered like glass. A spell came out of nowhere taking out Peter's wand arm resulting in an ear-shattering cry of the animagus as he dropped on his knees, dropping Voldemort as well as he held his mutilated hand with his other hand.

Nagini at once curled up around Voldemort so that he was comfortable as a man in black robes and a hood covering his face walked inside the house, his wand in his hand but not pointed at anyone.

"Who're you?" Voldemort's voice rang inside the house.

"You have the stone?" the man asked in a deep voice directly to Nicholas. The man didn't reply. "I am not here to hurt you." As he said those words Peter fired of a killing curse at the man but a chair came in between the curse's path, exploding in splinters. The man then raised his other hand and Peter was flying until he hit the wall and fell hard on the ground unconscious. The man than appeared to look at Voldemort where the snake hissed at him.

"Stone," the man said again, looking at Nicholas.

"It's here," Nicholas said, taking it out of his pocket. It glowed as if it had molten lava inside that crystalline outer surface. "Hey!" Nicholas exclaimed as the stone slipped from his hand and landed on the stranger's where he crushed it with ease. "Do you have any idea how long it took to make that? WHAT DID YOU DO?"

"Fifty years," the man said. "That's how long it took you and your wife to make this philosopher's stone. Soon after that she died and you kept using it to your own benefit, trying to live an immortal life. You very well know how it actually could've been used but you only had selfish thoughts. Don't worry, though. You will make another one. I believe you will. Until then, however," he turned towards Voldemort, "some won't have a reason to come after it because everyone present in this house right now knows how devastatingly this stone can be used. As for you," he said looking at Voldemort, "I bid you good luck for your coming adventurous days, Tom."

"Who are you?" Voldemort asked.

"No one you should be worried about right now," the man said. "I will be the one to decide that, just like I will decide your fate."

Saying that the man apparated from there with a loud crack Nicholas kept looking at the empty place where that man stood a moment ago when he realized that Voldemort had come out of his bundle of cloth and was crawling towards him, his snake slithering beside him. Nicholas had never seen anything as Horrible as Voldemort's this form. He was as small as a newly born baby with a bloody and slimy skin which looked as if they had blisters all over. His eyes were abnormally big for his head and he had no nose. His hands and legs were as thin as sticks with his abdomen region round like a balloon. Add to that a skin tone of greyish white he looked like a monster's baby coming straight from the legends of hell. Nicholas grabbed his wand and cast a spell but nothing happened. He tried again but no spell came out of his wand. He tried wandless magic but nothing happened again. He then noticed something glowing in the corner of the room and realized quickly that the house had been put under a magic-binding ward.

"It really is surprising to see an experienced and age-old wizard like you to fail to notice when a binding ward is put around your place," Voldemort said. "Whoever that man was is the one responsible for that and although it affects me too, I am already weak enough to not cast any spell. This is why I have m loyal friend here to help me with that." Nicholas looked at the huge black snake that looked like a python but was definitely poisonous as he took a look at its giant fangs. "Nagini, dinner," Voldemort said as the snake leapt at Nicholas whose scream was the last thing that was heard in that house before everything went silent.

00000

Bart waited in an empty alley of a muggle neighborhood of Surrey when he felt his arrival and turned around. The hooded man apparated in front of him silently and removed the hood. He then took out a small vial from his pouch and drank it and a minute later he changed back to Harry. Harry than handed Bart the little crushed portion of the philosopher's stone that he had managed to bring which Bart carefully placed in a small vial of his own as he put it inside his robes. "How is he?" Bart asked.

"Weak and in support of others for now," Harry said. "Things wouldn't be like that if he had gotten his hands on the stone."

"And the others?" Bart asked.

"Peter is dead, or at least he looked dead when he hit the wall," Harry said. "As for the alchemist Voldemort's snake was the judge of that I think."

Bart nodded. "Any drawbacks?" he asked.

"Felt a little tired," Harry said. "The potion affected my ability to apparate such a distance but I'll keep working on it."

"I see," Bart said.

"How's Sirius?" Harry asked.

"Worried and confused after he came to know Lucius took his and your side during the trial," Bart said. "He's got a lot of questions to ask."

"I bet he does," Harry said. "I will come by the weekend. I think you should tell him that."

"Will do," Bart said.

Harry nodded before apparating away. A moment later Bart apparated away as well and the alley became silent again with the people sleeping having no idea about anything.

00000

When Ron walked towards Harry and others after the end of charms every student coming out of the class was sure something was about to happen although word had spread that Ron was looking to join the study group, wherever that came from.

"Got a minute?" Ron asked abruptly looking at Neville and Hermione while simultaneously ignoring Harry and Draco.

"Harry, Draco, he's here," Neville said as they both walked towards the three. Ron tried not to look in their direction while controlling his anger at the same time.

"We came to know about your willingness to join in the group, Ronald," Harry said. "Have you gone through the requirements that joining the group present?"

"If this is about that contract that I have to sign than yes, I have," Ron said confidently.

"Okay then," Harry said, looking at Draco, Hermione and Neville. "So?"

"I vote yes," Draco said with s smirk as he looked lowly at Ron whose face twitched in anger at Draco looking at him like that.

"Seconded," Neville said.

"I vote yes," Hermione said.

"So do I," said Harry as he brought forward his hand for Ron to shake who completely ignored it.

"Brilliant!" Ron said. "I'll come by after classes are over."

"Here," Hermione stopped him as she took out the contract and handed it to him. "Read it and sign it."

"There's no need for that," said Ron as he signed it standing there. His signature glowed for a moment before going back to normal as Ron walked away, looking a little more confident.

"I would love to see how this turns out," Draco said.

"Let's give him time and see what he actually wants," Harry said.

"What do you guys mean?" Hermione asked.

"Nothing particular," Harry said, trying to change the topic. "Come on, we should head for lunch. We've potions after that and then Logan will take his weekly test."

"Did you study the topic?" Hermione asked as they made their way out of the classroom and towards the great hall for lunch.

**00000**

**A/N: Thanks for reading…**


	9. Chapter 9

With the magical government of France in chaos after a nightly murder and mutilation of world renowned magical alchemist Nicholas Flammel it was bound to be the cover page news of all magical media sources national and international and the Prophet was no exception.

Dumbledore felt like the entire world had crumbled upon him. He could not believe Nicholas was no more but what bothered and worried him more was that where was the stone. It would be no mere coincidence that muggle robbers would break into his house late at night. Yes, Nicholas lived in a muggle neighborhood but that didn't mean dark witches and wizards weren't after him and it was all because of that stone.

Had that old fool listened to Dumbledore and had left he stone here at Hogwarts than it shouldn't have happened. Now the stone was also missing and not only the magical government of France but the entire magical world knew that Nicholas had a philosopher's stone. Some curious brains would figure out what it actually is but the world knowing about the stone was not something Dumbledore had wanted. He was already dealing with a lit and this wasn't something he was ready to take on just yet. He already had too much on his plate to handle.

Seeing how Nicholas liked to live alone there was no point in looking for any of his relatives. He and his wife never had kids and so there was no one in their bloodline alive anymore. Same went about his connections. Not even his neighbors knew much about him so Dumbledore was left with nothing to tread on to and find out anything he could about the current whereabouts of the philosopher's stone. He knew there were enough minds inside Hogwarts right now at the breakfast tables to have already wondering what the stone was. He would have to ask Pince to make sure all the books that contained information about the stone were locked up in the restricted section. At least that would be a start.

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When Ron first entered Harry's quarters he was completely blown by the fact that how grand it was. Why couldn't he get something like that? The dorms were cramped enough for three boys and there were meant to be five living in it. Fortunately there were only four in Ron's dorm but that didn't change the fact that he immediately wanted to live here. Even a single room was bigger than his entire house combined. Perhaps he should've negotiated for a quarter with Dumbledore but candies were much better. He could savor them.

"You made it," Dean said as he saw Ron.

"This place is huge," Ron said.

"I know, right?" Dean replied. "Come on, we're about to start Snape's assignment. You can join us."

"Assignments?" Ron asked. "I thought there was a tutor here who taught you all."

"Who said anything like that?" Dean asked, looking confused. "We all make our own groups and study and do assignments. There's no one here to teach us. We self-teach ourselves and you can even practice spells in here."

Ron sighed. He was hoping he could have his charms, herbology and potions assignment done here but it didn't look like it. It wasn't as if he was doing it before but it would've been nice for a change. He joined Dean and Seamus in one corner and took out his potions belongings to write the essay that Snape had given them. He couldn't even remember what topic they'd been taught today so he tried to take a peek at Seamus'.

"Don't even think about copying my assignment, Weasely," Seamus said, hiding his notes.

"I forgot the assignment," Ron said.

"We have to write an essay on the topic that Snape taught us today," Dean said. "It's that simple."

"He doesn't even remember what topic we were taught," Seamus said, looking at Ron's gloomy face. "Wow! I know none of us like Snape but you're way beyond us all, Weasely."

"No one's gonna help you with your assignment, Weasely," Dean said. "You wanna learn the concept we'll all help you but getting to do your assignment is just not acceptable."

"There's no rule like that, is it?" Ron asked.

"No," Seamus said. "It's just that you've made a reputation in our house as someone who wants others to do your homework. You once went as far as asking a seventh year girl to do it for you. Ever since then it's been known in the entire school that you look for others to do your assignments so while we all share ideas and help each other to do our homework that won't apply to you as even though there's no rule regarding it we highly doubt students here will help you with your homework."

"Then what is the point of having a study group?" Ron asked. "I will complain to McGonagall about this."

"No faculty can do anything with regards to this study group unless some grave accident happens or someone insults others or something like that," Dean said. "In that case that student will be removed from the group and for other small matters there's the contract that you signed when you entered."

Ron sighed. He thought if he had to come here anyways then he might as well get some work done related to this but that didn't work out. He looked around, wondering where Harry was but he couldn't find him. "Where's Potter?" he asked.

"Potter and his friends study in that corner," Dean said, pointing to an empty corner.

"There's no one there," Ron said.

"That's because they've warded themselves with privacy charms, idiot."

Ron got up from his seat and walked towards the corner that looked empty but was not. When he reached there he put his hand forward and tried to catch something but there was nothing. He turned around and saw Dean and Seamus trying their best to hold their laughter.

00000

Harry apparated in the main hall of the Potter Manor. As soon as he arrived an elf popped in front of him. "Lord Potter, Master Bart is expecting you," it said. Harry nodded and headed towards the living area of the manor.

He saw Bart sitting in the couch talking to a man who had his back facing Harry.

"Talk about the devil," Bart said with a smile as Sirius turned around to see Harry standing at the doorway. He got up immediately but then fell again as his still recovering body prevented him from making any sudden physical moves. Harry was immediately by his side followed by Bart who both helped get him up and on the couch.

"You should be careful," Harry said. "You're still recovering."

"Nothing could've stopped me from hugging you, Harry," he replied back with wet eyes as he engulfed him in a tight hug. Harry let him. He could feel through Sirius' hug how physically weak he still was. There was literally no grip in his hug. He stayed there for over a minute as he let Sirius let down his tears until he was done. "Sorry for that," he said looking at the wet spot he had made on Harry's shoulder from his tears.

"How are you," Harry asked sitting beside him. "Is Bart treating you okay?"

"I'm fine," Sirius said. "Just dealing with some after-effects of my time at Azkaban."

"His physical recovery is still slow," Bart said. "They deprived him of food there. And you know the rest once you brought him here."

"I know," Harry said. "I wanted to talk something very important with you, if you don't mind," he said, looking at Sirius.

"Anything, Harry," Sirius said.

"I'll leave you two to it," Bart said as he got up and left the living room. "Make sure you take that potion, Sirius."

"I will," Sirius replied taking a glimpse at a small vial kept at the center table in front of him. "I hate that potion," he said to Harry who chuckled.

"You know you have to take it for your own good, Sirius," Harry said, picking up the vial and giving it to Sirius who made a face but then gulped the entire thing down his throat. He tried not to puke it all out, struggling for a few seconds before calming down. "Better?" Harry asked.

"Everything but the after-taste," Sirius said placing down the vial. "So, what did you want to talk about?"

Harry sighed. "You remember back at your trial when the interrogators asked for the final vote on your judging assessment?" Sirius nodded.

"I still can't put my foot on the fact that Lucius Malfoy voted for my freedom," Sirius said.

"It is about that," Harry said.

"Oh no," Sirius said looking worried at Harry. "What did he ask of you in return?"

"Nothing but what is already with him…for now at least," Harry said. "I convinced him that if he sides his allies to my favor during your trial then you will let Draco be part of your heritance as a Black. Unless if you don't have your own child that is."

"But I want to give it all to you," Sirius said. "I never got to be the cool godfather and spoil you. At least give me the chance now, Harry?"

"I am emancipated, Sirius," Harry said. "Besides, I am already a head of three ancient and noble houses which are far older than probably any other house seats in the Wizengmot. It is tiring enough and I still haven't gone through everything that I own and control in both the magical and the muggle world. I can't have another house add to it. I know you want it but I can't. I simply won't be able to manage it all and it would be just too much for me alone. Just name your next successor as Draco if you are not going to have your own child in the near future. Your freedom and safety are the only things that matter to me."

Sirius looked at Harry for a moment. "You really are mature for your age, you know that?" he said. "I wonder what Prongs and Lily would say if they'd seen you like this."

"I am doing what I have to," Harry said. "I don't have a choice in this matter. I and my parents were part of a very detailed plan made by someone who meant to take control of my familial fortune and use its financial and political power to their personal gain."

"What do you mean?" Sirius asked.

"If I tell you this they you'll have to promise me that you will not do anything rash," Harry said. "I and Bart are taking small, controlled steps to make everything alright so we can't have anyone pull any tricks."

"Okay," Sirius said, looking seriously at Harry. "I tried asking Bart how you survived that night but he said it wasn't his part to say."

"I will tell you everything," Harry said. "But first I want you to know that you cannot trust Dumbledore."

"Dumbledore?" he asked. "What's he got to do with everything?"

"He's got everything to do with it all," Harry said. "Bart was my mother's neighbor. He too I a wizard, a very powerful one but his magic showed up very late. He first performed accidental magic at the age of thirty-two or something and as per Hogwarts' regulations and add to that the ministry's rules he wasn't allowed to attend Hogwarts because of his age. It was a surprising revelation for me to know as well knowing there exists a rule like this. Bart, thus, enrolled himself in the Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, the American Wizarding School on Mount Greylock. He learnt everything there but since his family was also magical he knew about my mother being a witch so when the trouble fell upon my parents and suspicions arose from the inside she turned to him for one final chance of help.

"I know about the prophecy," Harry said. It surprised Sirius but he chose not to say anything unless he thought was necessary. "I know the prophecy is the reason why Voldemort came after myself and my parents. I was the reason my parents became a target as well. My parents planned it the afternoon of Halloween calling Bart in their house. It was done as a last resort and no one expected it to go that far. It was only supposed to be a plan of utmost urgency if anything went wrong. Peter and you had been interchanged as the secret keeper the last night. Bart brought in the explosives and my mother and father used their magical knowhow to lay out a trap in case things took a bad turn. When the time came Bart was asked to take me home with him while my parents used a dummy with a very tiny portion of my magical core just to deceive anyone who tried to investigate deeper into it all.

"That night when the Potter cottage exploded I was sleeping soundly at Bart's place while my parents gave their very lives for my protection and hoping they took out Voldemort as well."

Sirius looked at him with a sad and shocked expression. He didn't know even a percent of this plan. He understood why. Those were times of peril and trusting each other was hard but he still couldn't believe he wasn't involved in all of this.

"However, it could all have been prevented had Dumbledore not butted in," Harry said. "He was the one who convinced my parents to hide in Potter Cottage rather than here where the wards are ancient and far more powerful than even the fidilius. Yes, it would be an ideal place to hide and Voldemort would know about it but it would've given them time to think of something and they could've escaped and survived. But Dumbledore got to them and it was later I came to know that once he was done there he didn't do anything to help you prove your innocence which he could've done even after everything had happened because he has that kind of a reputation in the magical worked and in the ministry to stop them from sentencing a man without a trial. But he didn't and stood silence as they sent you to Azkaban."

"Why did he do that?" Sirius asked. "I often thought myself why didn't Dumbledore do anything to help me."

"That was because after my parents' death you would've been my magical guardian," Harry said. "And while I was also apparently 'dead' Dumbledore didn't get to know about it like most others until after twenty four hours once the investigations were complete. You were incarcerated before that. He realized I was dead and his plans had gone to waste and even then he didn't do anything to free you."

"So all those years you were with Bart?" Sirius asked.

"I was," Harry said nodding. "He taught me whatever he learnt himself back in America. He told me about my actual family history and my heritage lineage. Once I was eleven I took my emancipation test and became controller of my own destiny as per to say. This was solely done for the purpose that Dumbledore couldn't claim his guardianship over me and then give roots to his plans. It would've become obvious – me being alive – anyway once the new term's list was generated in the Hogwarts' student archive which uses the founders' magical algorithm to automatically recognize magical children born each year and enroll them in a list of students who would be joining once they turned eleven. Fortunately that list is magically made inaccessible unless the students have turned eleven. The letters are then automatically written and sent to the students and only at the night of sorting does everyone at Hogwarts know who these students are. My name would've been called and since it is ancient magic and cannot be wrong Dumbledore would've come looking for me. This and other reasons made me to join Hogwarts knowing I would be under Dumbledore's surveillance all the time."

"What other reasons?" Sirius asked.

"Voldemort is still alive," Harry said.

If it was possible to literally drop someone's mouth on the floor than that would've been the case with Sirius as his mouth was hung open wide with his eyes wide as well from the shock of this revelation. "How…How do you know this?" he managed to ask. "Didn't he die in the explosion?"

"He did…or rather a part of him did but not entirely though," Harry said. "Voldemort created horcruxes to ensure his survival at all cost. I suppose you know what horcruxes are don't you?"

"I do," Sirius said, trying hard to maintain his composure and not react wildly. He knew he had to listen first before asking or saying anything. "Coming from a dark pureblood family we are taught about all the forbidden magic since childhood."

"And that is why no pureblood witch or wizard will ever dare to create horcruxes of their own," Harry said. "It is because they know the price of it but Voldemort isn't a pureblood. He's a half-blood."

"He is?" Sirius asked surprised. "But…But why does he preach about blood purity?"

"That is so he can gain followers which are all pureblood magical families," Harry said. "His real name is Tom Riddle. Voldemort is just a sort of anagram of that name. The 'Lord' is just there to make it seem as if he's from a pureblood family himself. In reality he is the son of a high class muggle named Tom Riddle Junior and a pureblood witch Merop Gaunt."

"Gaunt?" Sirius said trying to remember the name when he did. His eyes went wide with realization. "The Gaunt families are…are…"

"They are the direct descendants of Salazar Slytherin," Harry said. "This is why Voldemort holds all the skills that all of Slytherin's descendants received like talking to snakes and easy control of dark magic. There was no one compared to Salazar when it came to controlling dark spells. He was the sole individual who could control even the fyndfire curse – the curse that burns everything in its part even a soul or a ghost.

"As of now there is one horcrux in Hogwarts which I will be destroying once I figure out how and then it on to the next."

"Wait," Sirius said. "How…How many did he make?"

"Seven, including this," Harry said pointing to his scar. Sirius had no words as he looked horrified and worried at the same time. "I got it the night he came to murder me. I don't know how but when his body was destroyed in the explosion his remaining soul which was in his body latched on to me. Even Bart has no explanation for this so we are trying to find out how to remove it. Meanwhile we are also looking for other horcruxes while figuring out how to put a stop to Dumbledore's schemes."

**00000**

**A/N: I am ending this chapter here…**

**The last part of this chapter says that Harry still received Voldemort's soul in his forehead even though he wasn't even in Potter Cottage that night…I am breaking some suspense and coming out with this – he's lying about that. Why? It will be explained in the later parts of the story…**

**Thanks for reading…**


	10. Chapter 10

"…and don't forget to practice the spell. I am sure you will get it in your study group," Flitwick said as the students prepared to get out of the class. "Mr Potter, can I talk to you for a minute?"

Harry looked at the tiny professor nodding. "Go ahead. I'll catch up," he said to Draco, Neville and Hermione.

"I received your letter last night," Flitwick said. "Although I might say that you wouldn't need my assistance as those students who are in your study group are already performing better."

"I didn't mean that you were actually needed of sort, professor," Harry said. "We thought that it would be great if sometimes professors would like to come and help us learn more because classes bind us with time. There's only so much we can do here and not to mention we have assignments and studies to go through for Professor Logan's weekly tests."

"I understand what you are trying to say," Flitwick said nodding his head. "I will check my schedule and try to make some time for your group."

"It's not really that necessary, professor," Harry said. "We just came up with this idea so we thought about giving it a try, that's all."

"Well, since your group is showing results this isn't a bad idea at all, Mr Potter," Flitwick said. "I and I think other professors also think that this study group is a really great idea. If only your seniors were smart enough to start their own."

"We tried including them but they wouldn't," Harry said. "The entry is free to everyone though. As long as they maintain the studying atmosphere within the group none of us have any problems regarding who joins it."

Flitwick nodded. "I will get back to you with your request, Mr Potter. I will certainly not miss it."

"We will all really appreciate your effort, professor but if you can't make time than it's not a big deal. We all know how busy your schedules are," Harry said.

00000

"Why are we here again?" Sirius asked.

"We are here to have your house head to be reinstated back to you, Mr Black," Bart said.

"But I never agreed to that," Sirius said. "Why wouldn't you tell me about it before bringing me here?"

"Because I knew you wouldn't listen to me," Bart said. "So now that we're here it would be a waste to not take advantage of this opportunity right? Shall we?"

Sirius sighed as he followed Bart inside Gringotts. They went straight to the tellers' section where Sirius requested for Bloodfang who handled all for house Black's financial deals and other legal documentations. Twenty minutes later they both were in Bloodfang's office.

"Long time no see, Bloodfang," Sirius said looking at the goblin.

"I was in the belief that you were kicked out of your family line," Bloodfang said.

"I was…I still am," Sirius said. "This is why I am here. I need to be reinstated as a member of my house and also a head, too. My parents are dead and my cousins are…lost. I don't even know where my brother is. I am the only one…here asking of you to please reinstate me as the head of my house."

Bloodfang looked at the skinny freckled man. He would often recall seeing Sirius when he was a child come to Gringotts with his mother. Unlike other kids who were frightened and scared seeing the goblins he was just the opposite. He would run around in Bloodfang's office looking at things and asking about them. Now looking at him Bloodfang could feel a ping of pain inside his heart. Sirius' life hadn't been kind to him. Even after having everything he was denied of his true inheritance and ownership. On top of that he was incarcerated for a crime he'd never committed.

"Please have your seat. I will arrange the paperwork," Bloodfang said as he left his office.

Sirius and Bart looked at each other wondering what had happened. It wasn't this easy t be reinstated back into a house especially when someone had been kicked out by the then family head which was his mother. Then Sirius remembered that he might probably have a shot at this as he saw Bloodfang coming into the office with a folder under his arm.

"I can be reinstated because of my mother, right?" he asked. "She made a mistake as she was in a hurry to take control of the family to serve Voldemort."

Bloodfang smiled; an expression that didn't suite the goblin at all. In fact it made him look even scarier as Bart shifted a little to take in the disastrous view of the goblin in front of him.

"Your mother used her power as Lady Black to take control of the family," Bloodfang said. "Seeing that your father had died, none of you were of age and none of you came to take your emancipation test as per the law she was entitled to control the house of Black as a proxy."

"And she used that to kick me out of my own house and then used my father's fortune to fund Voldemort's dirty plans," Sirius said. "There's a way to reverse that…removing her from the family, right?"

"Only because of two reasons," Bloodfang said. "She's dead and she was a proxy and not actually a Black after your father's death. She had no blood of Black flowing inside her so after your father's death the familial magic didn't recognize her. It was solely on the basis of her being a proxy head that she managed to do everything to your family. Seeing that you were the eldest son of your parents the inheritance fells on you. all you have to do is give a blood test that will prove you are a Black through blood."

"I am ready for that," Sirius said.

00000

Voldemort was in pain. The venom of his precious snake wasn't doing anything to sooth him down or either calm him. He had nowhere to go because of his condition and even though Nagini was a rather huge snake seeing for the fact that she was a venomous snake she couldn't carry him around. Lacking in magical prowess didn't help him either and with Peter dead he was stuck.

Whoever this person was he felt a strong magical aura from him. That man used extensive magical skills to take control of the situation and what was the worst thing about it all was the fact that he destroyed the philosopher's stone. Voldemort was now stuck with only one way to get back his body because living in hosts had not served him well.

"Come, Nagini," he hissed. "We are going to meet an old friend."

00000

With Slytherin winning in the semi-finals of the house cup for this year's Quidditch games at Hogwarts the Snakes were enjoying their late lunch. Gryffindors were sad as they had lost to the Snakes because definitely the Snakes had played dirty. With Ravenclaw winning the game from Hufflepuff the eagles and the snakes had made their way to the finals which was to happen after the winter holidays.

Snow had started to fall around the school grounds and to mimic the beauty of it the ceilings of the great hall also showered fake magical snow. Students had already started to pack for their trip back home for the holidays and not many were planning to stay.

Ron was the only first year who was stuck here for the holidays as his parents had went to Romania to meet Charlie. It didn't help that after him only Fred, George and Percy would be staying here as well. Apart from them there were the fifth and seventh year students who had opted to stay at Hogwarts for the holidays because of their exams.

"You packed?" Hermione asked Harry and Draco.

"Yup," Harry said putting a toast in his mouth. "Oh, I forgot to ask. Bart and I are planning to throw an early party before Christmas. I was wondering if you would like to come. All of you," he asked looking at the three of his friends.

"I will have to ask Gran about it first," Neville said.

"I'm down," Draco said. He was eager to meet Sirius now that Sirius had taken back the headship of house Black. He would have to convince the man to not marry and have a child. It was his father's instructions and not his. Her personally didn't care about the Black name and wealth.

"Hermione?" Harry asked.

"I am sorry, Harry," she said. "We are all going to my grandparents. It's like a family tradition but I will try. You did say it will be before Christmas, right?"

"Two days early," Harry said.

"I will try my best," she said. "But I have never seen your house."

"Which is what this is for," Harry said giving each of them a ball of marble.

"You sure these portkeys will hold on to until the party day?" Draco asked.

"It will," Harry said. "Bart sent me those and each one of them can carry two more people other than you so each one of you are invited with a plus two."

00000

"This is definitely awkward," Sirius said as he sat on the couch looking at the two people he thought he would never have to meet.

"It wasn't my idea to meet, Black," Lucius said. "But you do owe my house a debt."

"Never did anything out of courtesy, eh Lucius?" Sirius said. "And how are you Cissy?" he treating you well?"

"It should not be your business," Narcissa spat.

"It should be now that I have been reinstated as the head of house Black," Sirius said. "You know this as well as him that I can use that power to annul your marriage to him. You definitely took a hefty amount from my dear mother when you married Narcissa, didn't you Lucius?" Lucius sneered. "I bet not even your Malfoy fortune would be enough to cover it all once I annul your marriage to my cousin? Whatever you are you are because of the Black Fortune. Never forget that. But we are not here to fight. We are here to respect my godson's decision because of which I was able to be proved innocent and you got a chance to start a new life. So shall we get to business?"

Lucius frowned but nodded. "Like you know already I want nothing than have Draco be the next in line of the Black inheritance after you," he said looking at Sirius.

"So I've heard," Sirius said. "But this heart of mine aches for a lover, Lucy. I don't think I would be able to keep my promise to you."

"You owe me a life debt," Lucius said.

"Wrong," Sirius said. "I owe Harry a life debt. I owe you a simple debt that can be returned any time I want. So, what do you think? Shall we abide by the actual conditions of the deal?"

Lucius grunted but nodded once. "Fine," he said. "If you never have your own son legitimate or…you don't have an illegitimate child do you, Black?" he asked worried and confused at the same time.

"You hurt my feelings blaming me to be someone like that Lucy," Sirius said making an innocent face.

"STOP CALLING ME THAT!" Lucius shouted. He then took a breath to calm himself down. "It's just that the kind of person you were back in the day it wouldn't be surprising if you unknowingly…" he couldn't finish as he realized his wife was looking at him intently waiting for him to finish his words.

"That I accidentally knocked someone?" Sirius asked. "Heavens no! That would've been a disaster. I wasn't even a proper Black back then. It would mean nothing having a baby whether or not intentional. What kind of a man do you think I am? I respect ladies."

"Respect?" Lucius asked. "Tell that to the seventeen girls you dated and snogged the hell out of in your last two years at Hogwarts alone!"

"You were keeping count, Lucy?" Sirius asked causing Lucius' pale face to go red once again. "I wonder how many times you followed…"

"Can we get down to business?" Narcissa's voice was a surprise. Both the men looked at her who looked at the paper on the table in front of her. "Not only is this utter non-sense that you both are talking about but it is also wasting time. If it wouldn't have been for my husband you would never have been freed from that hell hole, Sirius! Your own side…the side of light…the light families didn't show much confidence in you while voting. It was Lucius' friends whose votes won you your freedom. Your own side betrayed you that day during your trial. Albus Dumbledore did nothing to get you free from Azkaban or even get you a trial when in fact he could've. So shut your blabbering mouth about how many girls you fucked back in the day and sign this goddamn paper!"

Both Sirius and Lucius looked shocked at Narcissa who was breathing hard after her rant towards her cousin. Once she was done she took in a few long breathes to calm herself down before sitting back straight. She cleared her throat to let the two men know she was done.

"Where do I have to sign?" Sirius asked. Lucius showed him the spot where Sirius signed his name with the blood quill. "You do remember the entire deal though, right?" he asked looking at Lucius.

"I do," Lucius said. He took out the diary and pushed it towards Sirius. "If word gets out than you wouldn't even find out bodies so…so for the sake of your cousin make sure you keep it down."

Sirius nodded. "There's no one other than myself and Harry who knows about this," he said. "Even I was shocked when I came to know about this. I suppose this makes us even?"

Lucius nodded following which Sirius got up and left the cafeteria. Ten minutes later the Malfoys did, too.

00000

"I wouldn't be here if I wasn't desperate," Voldemort hissed.

"So I see," she replied. "Why so?"

"You wouldn't understand," Voldemort said.

"I sense humiliation," she replied. Her smile only infuriated him.

"You better feel lucky that I am not at my prime or…"

"Or what?" she asked. "You already know your place. The fact that I don't choose to demonstrate my powers to the world doesn't mean I am weak. You know that very well Tom." Voldemort snarled at that name. "Even your petty horcruxes can't save you."

"Will you help me or not?" Voldemort said.

"There is a blood magic that entails the possibility of regaining one's body if the subject has stored its soul away in a horcrux," she said. "You mentioned pure hatred towards this eleven-year old," Voldemort nodded. "I can make this a lot better for you but there's a price."

"Which is what?" Voldemort asked.

"I need the elixir," she said.

"There are a lot of different elixirs for different things," Voldemort said. "Which one?"

"You know which one," she said. "Even someone like me gets hungry from time to time. I can't survive solely on consuming cores of witches and wizards. That's just only more teases for my appetite."

"Which one?" Voldemort hissed.

"The one found in a Cornish Greyblood's heart," she replied.

"And you think I can acquire that in this condition?" Voldemort asked. "Not only it's impossible for me to go near a dragon that kind is extremely rare! It's rarer than a basilisk!"

"That is your problem to deal with," she said. "You want my help and it won't come for free. Bring me my elixir and you will have your way out of this…whatever this is."

Voldemort hissed in anger before apparating away. He would have to find a temporary host for the time being as his core was drying up fast.

00000

The train ride back to London was a normal ride as Harry, Hermione, Neville and Draco shared a cabin playing games and discussing their holiday plans. Harry once again reminded them about his invitation to an early Christmas party before they got off and said their goodbyes. Bart had not come to pick Harry but he knew why and so coming out of the train he used his portkey to head back to Potter Manor.

Arriving there he immediately realized he was alone. Bart was mostly out doing whatever he did but there was also no presence of Sirius either. Harry called in an elf and after telling it to take his belongings to his room apparated to Grimmauld Place. He was right. There was the Black residence and he could already see a lot of commotion happening on the inside.

Opening the door he found a lot of magical workers working around like crazy. He also heard some shouts and cries of pain and surprise but this was the Black resident. Things weren't normal in here. He found Sirius soon though and the animagus was very happy to see his godson.

"How did you know I was here?" Sirius asked.

"Made a guess," Harry said. "Renovating?" he asked.

"Selling," Sirius said. "I have nothing but bad memories of this place in my head. It doesn't matter if it was even a whole castle. I would never have brought myself to live here. Old ghosts haunt this place you know?"

"Especially that one?" Harry asked pointing to the covered picture on the entryway.

"You know about that, huh?" Sirius asked.

"Your mother," Harry said. If not for the wards around this place the muggles would think some crazy lady lives here which reminds me…why is your house in a muggle neighborhood in a busy city?"

"Never got to know," Sirius said. "I was too young when I got kicked out of the house. Perhaps Cissy would know."

"Cissy?" Harry asked.

"Draco's mother," Sirius said. "Which reminds me you have become friends with him. How's that?"

"It's better to have your enemies near you, right?" Harry said. "If it wasn't for him I would never have been able to get in touch with Lucius and strike a deal for your trial."

"I wonder why I doubted your sorting in Slytherin," Sirius said with a smile. "Let's get out of here. There's just too many people and I don't want you in here because there are a lot of cursed and dark objects."

"I heard the workers shout," Harry said. "You better pay them good for this not-so-good of a cleaning experience."

"Now that I am the head of my house I easily can," Sirius said as they headed to a nearby café.

"You talk to Remus yet?" Harry asked.

Sirius stopped with his cup inches away from his lips. "Shit," he said.

"I got his letter not long after I requested Madam Bones to look into your case and set a trial," Harry said. "You know his condition. Call him back."

"I would but he wouldn't take free bread and home," Sirius said. "He's always been an ambitious person and if it wasn't for his condition hell, he would've been the minister by now."

"So offer him a job, just for namesake," Harry said. "You're Lord Black now. You have lots of properties and businesses both in muggle and magical world. Giving him a job would be a lot easy and no one will question it since you hired him for doing your work."

"I can give it a try," Sirius said nodding as he took a sip from his cup of latte. "This stuff is good!"

"I told you," Harry said.

00000

Bart looked at the readings and sighed. It was degrading faster than he'd anticipated. He needed to make sure things didn't become bad when it wasn't needed. Cancelling the spell he stood up and looked at the tombstone. "You really gave me a hard task Lily, you know that?" he said looking at the name. "I hope wherever you are you all are watching. It is difficult even with the help of that magic but like you said there's no choice."

00000

Dumbledore used the opportunity of Christmas holidays to always go on a vacation. He did so because during the summer when the terms ended he would be called often times for educational board meetings and ICW conferences which were supposed to happen only once a year but for some reason it didn't and that pissed the hell out of him. But unlike here in Magical Britain where in Wizengmot all he did was bang the gravel on the table in the ICW his words were given heed to. That gave him a sense of someone with power and not only because his words were listened but he was also being looked for advice and plans on certain situations or matters.

Right now he was staring out his window at his Hogwarts' office looking at the setting sun on the horizon. He had his things ready as he was to leave to night for another ICW meeting in Moscow. They were going to discuss some things that hadn't been told to the representative members so Dumbledore wondered what it was.

Minerva was given all the instructions she needed to run the school until he had returned. A change of things would be nice for a while. He didn't have a good start this year because of his intended subject's unruly and surprising behavior not to mention him suddenly coming back to life. He remembered seeing their cremation with his own eyes. Perhaps a small trip to Godric's Hollow was in need. Once he'd returned from there he would head for Moscow with his stuff.

00000

Apparating on the empty street of the small muggle colony Dumbledore used his deluminator to shut out all the lights on the road as he headed for the graveyard. This neighborhood had magicals and muggles alike although the latter had no idea about their counterparts' real abilities.

It had snowed and the grass was covered with fresh snow that made a soothing crushing sound when Dumbledore's foot stepped on them as he walked towards one particular family grave of the Potters. Aside from the grave and a tombstone there was also a really nicely carved statue of the three – Harry, James and Lily holding each other together like a true family. He frowned as he took out his most prized possessed elder wand and waved it over the grave. It glowed at three spots each with the size of the intended person buried underneath it and Dumbledore's shock had no bounds, no limits.

His spell HAD revealed Harry's body buried in here. There was no denying it. Suddenly he felt a presence behind him and turned immediately but was already late as the wand was aiming right at his face. He brought it even closer until the tip of his wand touched Dumbledore's cheek.

"You!" Dumbledore said. "Wha…How….What are you doing here?"

"Hello Percival," Bart said. "I was hoping we'd meet at different circumstances but I guess this has to be it. But that doesn't change the fact though, does it?"

"You…You're dea…"

"Obliviate," Bart said, twirling his wand on Dumbledore's face causing the old man's eyes to glaze up before he fell down unconscious.

**00000**

**A/N: Thanks for your reviews… Really appreciate you liking this story.**

**Thanks for reading…**


	11. Chapter 11

It was her first portkey travel and she didn't like it. Fortunately enough when she arrived at Harry's she didn't fell on the floor but somehow managed to stay upright. Once she was sure she was there she looked around in awe at the hugeness of the place. She didn't know which room she had landed in but it was definitely at least three times the size of the great hall of Hogwarts.

Suddenly then a house elf popped in front of her causing her to yelp in surprise. She had never seen a house elf but had definitely read about them and she had not gotten a good impression about the magicals because of that. But this elf looked a lot different than those pictures she had seen in the books. This elf was wearing nice clothing and looked healthy.

"Missy is sorry for scaring Master Harry's guest," the elf squeaked.

"It's…It's no problem," Hermione said. "It is just my first time seeing a house elf. Your name is Missy?"

The elf nodded. "Are you Ms Grangy?" the elf asked. Hermione nodded with a smile. "Everyone else is here. Please follow me."

Hermione silently followed the elf who jumped rather than walk. "You look happy," she said.

"Oh, Missy is very happy," the elf squeaked in delight. "Master Harry has arranged for all sorts of fun things for his party."

"But…But aren't you being made to work here as a slave?" Hermione asked.

The elf didn't reply as they'd reached the living area where she saw there were a couple more people. She knew them all. She could see Draco and probably his parents and Neville with an old lady. Then there was Sirius. She had only seen him in photographs in newspapers. "You're here!" Harry said walking towards her.

"I feel like I should've brought my parents as well," she said.

"What?" Harry asked confused.

"It's just that everyone here has brought someone with them," Hermione said.

"It's no big deal," Harry said. Missy chose that time to pop beside Harry to inform him about the meal and that it was ready. He clapped his hands, thanking Missy before the elf popped away. "You hungry?" he asked looking at her.

She wasn't pleased with this. "Why do you have elves working for you?" she asked. "Are you like other pureblood families who enslave these creatures?"

"What?" Harry asked. "You're asking me why I have elves working here?" she nodded. Harry smiled.

"Why are you smiling?" she asked.

"I understand your concern but don't worry," Harry said.

"This is a worrying situation for them, Harry!" Hermione exclaimed. "You are treating them as slaves."

"First of all there's a difference between slavery and work," Harry said. "And it is the very nature of elves or rather house elves to work for others. They do so for their own survival because they live on the magical energy of the people they serve. I know that sounds ugly but that's true. You can look it up if you want."

"Is that so?" she asked, still not convinced.

"You can talk to any house elf working here if that would make you believe it," Harry said with raised eyebrows. "Besides I know where you're coming from this. You read in some book about the mistreatment of house elves. Yes, there are some families out there who abuse their house elves and torture them but it's not like that here. House Potter cares for everyone under its roof."

"You sound like a politician," Hermione said.

Harry chuckled. "Sorry about that," he said. "What I mean to say is we or rather Bart and I care for our elves because they do so much for us. This is why this party is not only for my guests but also for the elves as well. I have new clothes for them as presents."

"But wouldn't that mean you are freeing them?" she asked.

"Not if they choose for themselves," Harry said. "I do this all the time with them. I give them some money to buy whatever they want for themselves be that clothes or other things. To free a house elf its master needs to give it clothes directly. Also the elf must be willing to leave as the elf is magically bounded with its master as they all feed off of him for their survival."

Hermione nodded. "Sorry about doubting you," she said.

"It's alright," he replied. "You're new to this world so you have questions about it. The same happened with me when I came to know about new things even though I was brought up in the magical world. It is alright to ask questions about things that are hard to understand." She nodded. "So, are you hungry?"

"A little," she said as they headed to meet the others.

"Is she the one?" Sirius asked approaching Harry and Hermione. "A girlfriend at eleven. I am proud, Harry."

"She's a friend, Sirius," Harry said. "A very good friend. And like I said she's muggleborn so don't freak her out will you?"

"It is nice to meet you Mr Black," Hermione said.

"Oh, don't call me that," Sirius said. "It makes me feel old."

"You are old," Harry said with a poker face.

"You hurt my feelings prongslet," Sirius said.

"Why does he call you prongslet?" Hermione asked.

"It's a nickname he gave me because my father's was Prongs," Harry said. "That was his animagus name."

"Your father was an animagus?" Hermione asked.

"A stag," Harry said. "Sirius' a dog."

"Wanna see?" Sirius said and before she could reply he turned into a big black shepherd dog. Hermione jumped from her place as Sirius came and bounced on her.

"Rub him or he won't let go," Harry said as Sirius started to lick Hermione's face. Hermione patted him on the back before Sirius let go and transformed back. Harry cleaned Hermione's face with a cleaning spell.

"Am I not adorable?" Sirius asked looking at Hermione with puppy-dog eyes.

"You frightened her," Harry said.

"It's…It's alright," Hermione said catching her breath. "Although my parents won't allow me to have dogs at home."

Harry and Sirius broke into laughter. "I like her already," Sirius said.

"Having fun Potter?" Draco said as he and his parents approached them.

"Formalities, Draco," Lucius said.

"It's alright, Lord Malfoy," Harry said. "I prefer not to be formal amongst friends. Life's easier that way."

Lucius sneered as he looked from Harry to Hermione to Sirius. "You gonna spend the whole day with them?" he asked Sirius.

Sirius made a sad face but then looked at Harry and others. "I'll be right back," he said.

"Where's Bart?" Hermione asked.

"He's had some business to deal with," Harry said. "He won't be back for a few days."

"So you have this entire place for yourself?" Draco asked.

"You planning something?" Hermione asked.

"I might be," Draco replied. "Although I wonder if my parents will let me stay here for a few days though."

"I can talk to them," Harry said. "Hey, Neville!" he called.

Neville looked at them and then his grandmother who nodded once. The boy's face lit up as he practically ran towards them. "Hey, guys," he said.

"So, Draco says he has plans for us to enjoy our stay here," Harry said. "Would you like to join us?"

"I would have to ask Gran," Neville replied.

"Wait, you mean stay here overnight?" Hermione asked. Harry and Draco nodded. "I can't do that," she said. "I have to go home by evening. My parents and I are leaving for my grandparents' house tonight. Besides my dad won't let me stay overnight with three boys."

"You didn't have to tell them it was all boys that you're friends with," Draco said. Harry only nodded in his agreement.

"Whatever be the case, I can't stay after evening, Harry," she said. "I am so sorry."

"It's alright," Harry said. "Looks like it's us three then."

"I will have to ask Gran," Neville said.

"I will help you," Harry said dragging the round faced boy towards Augusta.

Hermione was left with Draco and an awkward silence between them. None of them knew what to talk about so Draco cleared his throat. "So, what's your impression?" he asked, taking a sip of hot chocolate from his glass.

"It's…It's really great, this place," she said.

"I wasn't talking about the place," Draco said. "I was talking about when you first came to the wizarding world." Hermione looked at him weirdly. "Don't judge me," he said. "I was just wondering what it is like for a mud…muggleborn to be introduced to this world for the first time."

Hermione eyed him. She had definitely caught his struggle to not call him a mudblood and really was impressed when he didn't. "It was an experience," she said. "My parents were more shocked than I was to be honest. It was expected as I am only eleven."

"So, how did they take it?" he asked.

"It was hard at first but professor McGonagall explained it to them in detail," Hermione said. "Also, I think my bout of accidental magic was also a help in that matter."

"You shattered window panes?" he asked.

"Floated my stuffed rabbit in my hands when I was three," she said. "You broke window panes?"

Draco nodded proudly. When Hermione saw him slime it she was surprised. "Why are you smiling?" she asked.

"I was thinking about how you've proven my ideologies wrong again and again," Draco said. "And I am a competitive boy."

"Your ideologies?" she asked.

"The fact that I am a pureblood," he said, "also that I come from a noble family, we are taught that blood purity is the only thing that makes us superior in terms of magical prowess and skillset than others."

Hermione's expressions changed but she didn't let her emotions control her. "So, what did you observe?" she asked.

"That you proved that theory wrong," he said. "And you aren't even a half blood but a muggleborn."

"Many great witches and wizards were half-bloods and muggleborns," she said. "Rowena Ravenclaw was a muggleborn, Helga Hufflepuff was a half-blood. Blood purity means nothing when it comes to defining your own strength. It's the hard work that people put into it that matters and makes a change."

"You're right," Draco said. "But my parents won't understand that. All they see when they look at you is that you are the daughter of two muggles who don't deserve to share our world, that you stole the magic you have from us."

"Stole?" she asked.

"It is a belief amongst many pureblood families in the magical world that when a pureblood family is vanquished entirely with no one blood-related to take their place their power goes to someone in the muggle world," Draco said. "It's an ancient myth I think as many say about it."

"And you think that's true?" Hermione asked.

"I don't know," Draco replied. "It's what we pureblood children are taught when we are small."

"Well, that sounds like brainwash to me," she said.

"A what?" Draco asked.

"It's altering or changing one's ability to think and understand things in a different way," Hermione said.

"Like a mind altering spell," Draco said.

"Something like that, yeah," she replied. "So, what have you come to conclude from your experience into all of this?"

Draco didn't reply as he thought deeply about it. "I think no one has the answer to how people are selected to be magical or muggles," he said. Hermione nodded. "But my parents won't understand that. They will still look at you as a muggleborn and they will never agree."

"Agree to what?" Hermione asked.

"I like you," Draco said.

"Alright, Neville's joining us," Harry said as he and Neville came towards them. He didn't notice Hermione's expression of shock as he talked about what they could do for their stay here at the manor for the few days they'd planned until he did. "You alright, Hermione?" he asked looking at her.

"What? Yeah," she said stammering. "Yeah, I'm fine, totally. I am totally fine."

Harry looked at her for a few more seconds before looking back at others. Draco glanced at Hermione and saw her stealing looks at him. He pressed his lips together before concentrating back on Harry's words.

00000

Wandering around the castle alone was one of his favorite pass-time during the holidays. With most of the students gone the castle was a peaceful place to hang around. This was one of the reasons why Flitwick liked staying at Hogwarts during winter holidays. He liked the peacefulness and solidarity he felt here during this time. At the evening he and his fellow coworkers would sit and enjoy a hearty dinner with lots of free discussions which was impossible with the presence of the students.

Right now with the time a little past midnight he had went to a stroll around the castle as part of his nightly duty being a Hogwarts professor. It had been almost half an hour and he was almost finished. All the portraits were asleep and so were the ghosts. The night was beautiful tonight with lots of starts and a beautiful crescent moon in the sky. Snow had only started to fall since evening and it now covered the entire school ground in a thin cover of ice which shined brightly under the beautiful night sky.

Taking a turn at the corridor Flitwick now entered the Quarters' section where students and prefects were given quarters to stay. Currently only Harry was residing in this area so Flitwick thought he would just take a look around the corridor and the tower just to make sure everything was alright.

As he approached the quarters' section he heard someone's footsteps. Wondering who could it be he lowered his lumos spell to not give away his presence while being on guard. Being a former champion duelist Flitwick had a tendency to grasp into his dueling instincts whenever he felt something off and something off he felt as he carefully leaned on the wall and peeked from there towards the source of the sound.

'Dumbledore?' he said mentally as he saw the headmaster standing in front of Harry's quarters. The old man than had his wand out and waving it in a certain pattern cast a spell which unlocked the door as he entered the place. Flitwick had no idea why Dumbledore was breaking into Harry's quarters but curiosity was starting to get the best of him.

He cast a spell to reveal if anyone else was present near him but no one was. He would have to figure out why Dumbledore was breaking into someone's private quarters and violating their privacy. Since Harry was an emancipated minor it was a matter to be considered. If it had been a normal under-aged student than the headmaster probably had the authority to enter into their quarters in the students' absence but not this one. If caught Dumbledore could be sacked away as a headmaster of Hogwarts.

But he never said anything about his works to anyone, thought Flitwick. Dumbledore was that kind of a person who would do things without telling others about it. But this didn't seem right to Flitwick. Harry was a bright boy with a keen interest in his studies. If his parents were alive then they'd surely be proud of him. Flitwick knew he was and so were many other faculties.

Deciding staying here was not something he wanted right now Flitwick left the place. He would bring this up with Minerva as she might have some idea as to what Dumbledore was doing here tonight. He knew Dumbledore wouldn't probably tell him anything about it. Seeing he was breaking into an emancipated minor's quarters and that too a lord of three great magical houses Flitwick just couldn't let this drop being a faculty of Hogwarts.

00000

"I don't like this at all," Voldemort said. "But I guess I have no other choice in the matter right now. Although it would've been good if I had gotten a pureblood."

As Voldemort looked at the reflection of his new host's body in the full size mirror Nagini was curled up in the corner of the room feeding off of one of the bodies of the host's families. The quietness of the night and everyone being asleep had worked for Voldemort's advantage as he didn't have to put up a fight. This was one of the reasons he had liked his accomplice's idea about targeting a muggleborn wizard. His family would be non-magical and Nagini would easily take care of them and Voldemort would get a host whose core he could feed from until another host could be found. All he had to do was to not let any of his followers know about the fact that he was living off of a muggleborn's magic.

"Let's get out of here, Nagini," he said. "I need to gather some of my followers to get the elixir we require for the task."

The snake flicked its tongue as it curled around its master's body before apparating away with a silent pop leaving behind three dead people and one half-eaten one which had now started to decay because of Nagini's poison.

00000

Arthur Weasely was a heavy sleeper because of his health. He wasn't sick but he had a body which was a little bit on the heavy side. That and the fact that he didn't do much physical exercises had caused his sugar levels to rise up. He didn't know that fact though as it had never brought him any problems so there wasn't a necessity of getting himself checked by a healer. But it had definitely made him a man with very low stamina. As a result he would easily and quickly get tired even after doing a little mental work. This also made him a heavy sleeper so when he woke up hearing the sound of whispers he felt odd. For a few moments he couldn't remember where he was as sleep was heavily weighing down his eyes but then he saw two shadows move inside the room where he was asleep on the cot.

Arthur then realized that he was in his son Charlie's tent at the Romanian Dragon Reserve Center. He, his wife and daughter had come to spend Christmas with Charlie. Once his eyesight was clear a little and his hearing improved he could hear whispered voices of two men discussing something of urgent matter. It wasn't for long as those two then quickly left the tent leaving it in silence once more.

He sat up, looking around in the dim light of the lantern hanging from one of the supporting poles of the tent. His wife and daughter were in deep sleep. He could hear Molly's faint snoring. Then his eyes fell on Charlie's cot which was empty. The blanket was also fumbled as if he had left in a hurry. A few things lying around under his cot were also scattered as if he might've kicked them while trying to get up.

Standing up Arthur straightened his back and tried not to groan loudly as he stretched his back which always ached whenever he woke up after a sleep. "Charlie?" he called his son but no answer came. He then heard a slight commotion outside and wondered what was going on. Tying the gown on his waist and grabbing his wand he walked out of the tent and saw the people working at the reserve center were at a state of unrest.

"Philip, what is going on?" Arthur asked one of Charlie's co-workers.

"I am sorry, Mr Weasely," Philip said. "I am not at the liberty to share anything with anyone who doesn't work at this reserve. You should go back to sleep."

"Is Charlie alright?" Arthur asked.

"He was called up by the handlers," Philip said. "He would be back shortly. Please go back in your tent. Wandering around alone at this hour might be dangerous. Some of the dragons we have here are nocturnal."

Arthur nodded. "Just…if you find Charlie tell him to come back immediately, please," he said. Philip nodded before leaving him. Arthur stayed out for ten more minutes before coming back in. Charlie returned about half an hour later.

"Dad?" he asked. "What are you doing up?"

"I heard a commotion and saw you weren't in your cot," Arthur said. "Has something happened?"

"Uh…not really," Charlie said. "We had two baby dragons fighting. They had broken off of their containments and were flying around. You know how dangerous baby dragons are. They have no control on their breathes and can burn anything without knowing."

"Is everything alright?" Arthur asked.

"Yeah, everything's fine," Charlie said. "You should go back to sleep. I have to make a report about the incident to the chief controller of this reserve so I will be back by an hour. Don't stay up waiting for me."

Arthur nodded as he went back to his cot while Charlie left the tent. The second Weasely child was sweating heavily as he met his co-workers. "Any clues?" he asked.

"None," one of them said. "It is bad enough that other dragons are in a state of unrest because of it. We can't get into the containment to gather enough data."

"This was definitely a strategy," Charlie said.

"What do you mean?" one of the others asked.

"It was clearly a murder," Charlie said. "And whoever did this was after only one thing."

"The elixir," the co-workers said. Charlie nodded.

"Greybloods are extremely rare and we only have…had one," Charlie said. "The fact that it's the holiday season makes this entire reserve a little less guarded as many of the guards and other people are on leave." Suddenly then Philip came running towards them. He was breathing heavily as he stopped near them and bent down trying to catch his breath. "You alright?" Charlie asked.

"The…The guards at the ba…backside of the reserve are…are dead," Philip said. "I have called in the aurors. We need to be there."

"What about the rest?" one of the co-workers asked.

"Reserve's empty for the night," Charlie said. "This is an emergency. We need to call chief and inform him of the situation. Where'd you say the aurors would be arriving?"

"North-eastern entrance," Philip said.

"Let's head there," Charlie said. "Chase?"

"Yes?" one of the co-workers said.

"When morning hits tell my family to meet me in my office," Charlie said. "If you don't find them there then that means I've already told them." Chase nodded as they all left for the aurors.

00000

"I've waited so long for this," she said as she looked at the dragon's heart.

"You got what you wanted," Voldemort said. "Now tell me…tell me how can I get a new body? It is embarrassing enough to be attached to a mudblood."

"Before we do that, I need to know how many anchors you made," she said.

"What does that have to do with anything?" Voldemort asked.

"It will be based on that information that I can tell you the correct process of performing the right magic to gain you a body," she said. "All you have to do is tell me how many times you broke your soul because if I don't know it then you'll probably get a wrong magic to perform and that may lead to bad things for you."

"Six," Voldemort said. "I made six anchors."

"Something tells me you wanted to make seven," she said. "Why stop at six? Although even that is an impressive number."

"I lost my body," Voldemort said. "My original body was lost in an accident almost eleven years ago. I had plans to make a seventh anchor but I couldn't. And now with my original body gone I can't unless I get it back."

"Hmm," she said as she waved her hand and Voldemort started to float.

"What are you doing?" he hissed at her as Nagini uncurled and slithered towards her but was stopped midway and hissed in pain. "Nagini! Stop hurting my familiar! Voldemort said.

"I am just checking if you are telling the truth," she said. "I am very good at finding out if someone's lying to me." she then waved her hand and Voldemort's body glowed. "Hmm, now either you are a liar or you have no idea about this."

"No idea about what?" Voldemort asked.

"You have seven anchors little Tommy," she said. "Would you like to tell me why you lied to me?"

"I…I didn't," Voldemort said with shock displayed on his face.

**00000**

**A/N: Thanks for reading…**


	12. Chapter 12

Lord Voldemort, the most feared dark wizard of all time was standing with his mouth agape and staring at her hearing those words. "This is no time for a joke," he said.

"I don't do jokes," she replied. "My magic never lies. You have seven anchors."

"I never made a seventh," Voldemort said. "Like I said, I was about to but I never got the chance. My body was destroyed before I could part my soul from it for the last time."

"What happened that night?" she asked. "What happened when you went to kill the Potters?"

"How do you know?" he asked.

"Oh, everybody knows," she said. "You think someone like me doesn't read newspapers? How old do you think I am? You have to live in present all the time. It is what makes beings like us stronger – keeping up with the time."

"They had a trap waiting for me," Voldemort said. "It was…Their house was lined with muggle explosives so my spells didn't reveal anything. I was caught up in the explosion and my upper half was completely gone. The remaining of my body was thrown away on the street completely burnt. I somehow made it out of there."

"Did you perform the horcrux spell before going to the Potters?" she asked.

"I did," Voldemort said. "I wanted to enjoy making my final horcrux after killing the Potters this is why I had already performed the ritual and was going to complete it with the three kills I had planned that night."

"Which happened," she said.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"You had already performed the ritual for your last horcrux," she said. "From what you say all you needed to do was make a kill to complete it entirely but then the explosion happened. But…"

"But what?" Voldemort asked.

"It was because of you that the Potters had laid a trap," she said. "When the entire house exploded and they died it completed the ritual entirely causing your soul to leave your body."

"And latch where?" Voldemort asked. "I never specified any anchor for my soul. I was to do that after I was done killing the Potters."

"Horcrux is a forbidden magic for various reasons," she said. "One of them being that it acts out on its own sometimes. In your case you say that you never designated an anchor to your soul even though you had performed the horcrux ritual. With the sudden destruction of your original body and the ritual already complete the soul that was separated from your body because of it all would definitely have to latch itself on to something through which it would survive."

"Meaning what?" Voldemort asked.

"Your seventh horcrux is a living person," she said. "Who that is, is something you have to find out. Although that doesn't mean it would cause any problems with the ritual to gain your original body back but I think it would be an important thing for you to do. After all it is your soul."

Voldemort could not believe his horcrux was a living person. "Who…Who could it have latched on to?" he asked.

"As far as I can tell from understanding the situation…someone alive," she said. "And nearby the place. In that condition your soul could not have had enough magical power left to wander far off. I think you would remember who else were there at that time the house exploded and you lost your body."

00000

"Are you sure?" McGonagall asked.

"I am certain," Flitwick said. "This is why I came to you, Minerva. Doing something like this will get him into legal trouble if Mr Potter comes to know about it. He already isn't all that impressed by the headmaster."

"You know he does things without telling us, Filius," she said. "He's always been like this. It's useless to try to know what he intends to do by doing something like that."

"But it worries me, Minerva," Flitwick said. "Violating someone's privacy like that is something I cannot accept."

"I would definitely like to see how you convince Albus to tell you why he did it," she said. "And if he does tell you and he's wrong about it, which I don't think he will be, I would back you up completely."

"That's not motivating, Minerva," he said. "I wonder if Mr Potter knows about it."

"It can be a possibility that he requested Albus to do something for him which needed him to be in Harry's room," Minerva said.

"I don't think Mr Potter would do anything like that," Flitwick said. "I've noticed it since the beginning of this term that he doesn't respect Albus Dumbledore like other students. It's like he blames him for something. I wonder why."

"He's eleven," McGonagall said. "Kids that young often don't have much understanding of things."

"But he is a lord of three ancient and noble houses," Flitwick said. "And he's showed enough maturity to shame even a well skilled wizard."

"He'd have to be trained by his guardian, whoever that could be," she said.

"We don't know who took him in," Flitwick said. "We have no records as to where he stayed after that night of Halloween."

"We are not supposed to either," McGonagall said.

"Aren't you a little bit curious?" he asked. "He is the son of two of your most favorite students."

"And this is why I want to respect his decisions," she said.

"Then why won't you question the fact that Dumbledore illegally entered Mr Potter's quarters because I am as sure as Hagrid's believes in hippogriffs' good behavior that Mr Potter wouldn't want anyone to breach his privacy," Flitwick said.

"Only because he wouldn't tell why he did it," McGonagall said. "He never does. If you'd known him as long as I have than trust me when I tell you that he definitely had a reason to do it."

Flitwick didn't argue with her anymore. She was a fair professor but not so much when it came to Dumbledore's decisions. He couldn't keep this from Harry though. As a respected faculty to this institute he had his responsibilities towards the students. If Dumbledore didn't want Harry to know that he had been to his quarters than he would've said so to the rest of the faculty so they wouldn't tell Harry by mistake. Since he had not that made it Dumbledore's fault. This is what he would say if Dumbledore calls him about the matter when he tells Harry about it.

00000

When Dumbledore heard from his source about the incident at the Romanian dragon reserve he was curious and worried at the same time. The management of the reserve center had told the reporters that their rare Cornish Greyblood was dead because of old age but Dumbledore knew it was killed. His sources had told him that the dragon's heart was missing which only meant one thing – the culprit was after the elixir. He knew what the extracted elixir from a Greyblood's heart could do and it terrified him that someone had gotten their hands on it knowing its actual capabilities.

He would have to ask Moody for this one. He didn't want to do it but he had no other idea inside his head. Right now he already had too much on his plate.

00000

Remus Lupin was a simple man. He had a condition, a condition where he was forced to become a werewolf at every full moon night but he was a simple man. He had hopes and dreams and he had lost people he cared. What he didn't know that there were people who still cared for him. So when he received a letter from Sirius he was surprised to be less. His old friend had asked him to meet at a certain address he knew was under fidilius. From knowing the address and the rest of the content of the letter Remus was now aware that Sirius had finally settled down with his life after his trial. With no reply from Dumbledore about his requests Remus thought to give this thing a try. So he closed his eyes and focused on his magic, apparating a second after that with a soft pop.

He appeared in front of a huge estate filled with greenery and beauty. It was hard to believe that the Black family had an estate as beautiful as this. He could already see Sirius coming towards him and apart from being on the skinny side he looked pretty normal to him. Also, he had a lot more wrinkles on his face and his smile only amplified them.

The two hugged each other as long as they could as tears rolled down their eyes. It had been a while…a long while. They were the only two people left of the infamous marauders' group and it hurt so much knowing that thing.

Once they had settle down Remus could not close his mouth as he looked around the place with huge eyes. Sirius enjoyed his friend's reaction seeing his place but at the same time felt bad for him. Life hadn't been kind to Remus ever since he was bitten. Perhaps today will be a change for him.

"I heard you were freed," Remus said. "I am sorry I couldn't make it to your trial."

"It's no big deal," Sirius said. "What matters is you are here now."

"And I wanted to ask why," Remus said.

"You are not happy to see me?" Sirius asked.

"You get me wrong," Remus said. "I am…I am happy to see you but why call me here? This is your ancestral home, isn't it?" Sirius nodded. "Why call me here? If you wanted to meet me then we could've done so outside."

"I didn't only want to meet you," Sirius said, "I also wanted to talk to you about something." Remus looked at him curiously. "Ever since I met Harry, I could see this level of maturity in him that would put both of us at shame the same time."

"I figure," Remus said. "I only recently read how he was responsible for your trial to take place and the fact that he's emancipated now and is actually the head of three ancient and noble magical houses."

"He also asked me to do something…for you," Sirius said. Remus' smile vanished as he looked at his friend. "Will you please listen to me completely before you judge me?" Remus nodded after thinking for a minute. "It was Harry's idea and I wholeheartedly agree with it. Would you like to work for me, Remus?"

Remus thought he heard it wrong as his expression said it all. "I'm sorry?" he said.

"I know it's been very hard for you to…to get a job out there and since you don't have any muggle qualifications getting a job in the muggle world is also impossible because of that," Sirius said. "So Harry came up with the idea that I give you a job where you work for me, the head of the house Black. If you do that than no one in the magical world would question anything about how you got a job despite you being a werewolf."

"And you came up with this?" Remus asked.

"Oh, no," Sirius said. "I planned to simply invite you in to live here with me but Harry said you might not like it and thus suggested me this."

Remus didn't reply all of a sudden. He took in the words and thought about them for a moment. "I…I don't know, Sirius…"

"Oh, come on, mate!" Sirius said. "Why can't you be a little selfish once a while? How long will you keep helping and thinking about others and not yourself? What good has it done to you? Did you get a normal lifestyle because of that? Or a job, maybe?" Remus didn't reply. "If you think that saying yes will make you seem smaller than I call it bullshit. I know you are a man of pride so if not for yourself and me, can you do it for Harry? And James and Lily?"

"Don't make me do your bidding by dragging in their names, Sirius," Remus said.

"I am not dragging them in, Moony," Sirius said. "I am telling you what would've happened if they were here right now. If not me then they'd have come to you with something like this one day. Only I am left. Please don't be so hard on yourself and just say yes. I promise I will actually have something to give you as work. If I can't then we'll ask Harry. He sure has more intelligence than the two of us combined."

"Yours don't matter," Remus said with a little smirk.

"It…Yeah, it doesn't matter," Sirius said with a smile of his own.

"Fine," Remus said. "If this is what you and Harry wants than I will do it but it has to be some legit work."

"How does managing the official works sound to you?" Sirius asked.

"Harry suggested that, didn't he?" Remus asked. Sirius smiled timidly.

00000

Bart was at Potter Cottage, making sure he didn't trip any alarms the aurors might've set. The place still had barricade tapes set up by muggle police years ago. No one lived in the neighborhood anymore. People abandoned it fearing another gas explosion. Only the magicals knew what the real cause was and even they couldn't bring themselves to live here. The entire colony was abandoned with an air of scariness and emptiness enveloping it.

Bart knew the place was under constant surveillance by the muggle government as they still thought it was a terrorist attack. No one was caught according to them and so they had stated it to be an attack by a suicide bomber. The targeted house didn't have anyone inside (only because the aurors had removed the bodies of Potters before the muggle police had arrived). Finding no body in the house led the muggle police to believe that it might not have been a suicide bomber but something else. Eventually many theories were made stating many possibilities. The aurors let the muggle police have the evidence related to the use of muggle explosives as it wasn't their area of expertise. Besides, the magical world had just been relieved from the terrors of a maniacal dark wizard so no one wanted to put their head into something too complicated. Handling the muggle authorities was one of them.

Looking around Bart cast a revelation charm for any magical presence in and around the vicinity of the cottage and found none. He then cast a notice-me-not charm and a muggle-repellent charm to hide himself from the muggles and their ways and means before entering the place.

Rubbles and ruins still lay where they had that night. As he entered the corridor through the main gate he stepped on the broken glass and wood crushing them under his weight. Lighting up his wand he walked inside more keeping an eye out for anything that might come out. One couldn't be too careful. He had learnt it the hard way many years ago.

All of the important things were already taken away by him that night ten years ago. Right now he knew there wasn't anything here that he could take away. Reading the results from his scans around the place countless people had entered the vicinity, mostly muggle teens and youngsters possibly on a game of dare.

As he went upstairs and looked around he felt someone was following him. He flicked his fingers, a smile forming on his lips as he stopped and spoke without turning. "Keeping eyes on me?" a gust of wind blew his long white hair and his robes. His smile widened. "I made a promise, didn't I? I intend to keep it that way. I suppose you all are watching my every move." Another gust of wind touched him. "I understand," he said before taking the stairs and going down and then out of the gate. It wasn't until he was out on the streets that he turned around and looked at the cottage. "I promise I will do everything in my power to make changes to the best of us all," Bart said before apparating away from the place.

00000

"Mr Potter, do you have a minute?" Harry stopped and looked at Flitwick.

"What is it, professor?" he asked.

"Will you step into my office?" Flitwick asked. "I need to tell you something I am not comfortable to abut speaking here."

Harry looked at him before nodding towards his friends telling he would join them later. He then followed the charms professor to his office which looked similar to the goblins' offices at Gringotts but also with more humane decorations and other objects. He noticed Flitwick sealed the office with layers of privacy charms and wards before taking a seat on his chair. Harry followed by sitting on the spare chair facing him with Flitwick's desk in between them.

"There's no subtle way to say this so I will come straight to the point," the tiny professor said. "While you were away on Christmas break I noticed headmaster Dumbledore secretly break into your room one night when I was on guard duty inside the castle. I thought maybe you should know because since you are an emancipated under-aged wizard with your own private quarters granted to you by the very own educational board the headmaster has performed a sort of felony…a crime by violating your privacy by breaking into your quarters in your absence. It is either that or you gave him permission to do so in your absence, perhaps to get something for you…I don't know. I need to know if you had any knowledge of that and if not than as a faculty of this institution it is my duty to inform you. As an emancipated individual it comes under you to decide what you want to do with this information. If you want I can take your formal complaint directly to the education board or you can do no such thing."

Harry looked at the professor for a minute before smiling. "I really appreciate you came to me with this, Professor Flitwick," Harry said. "But I already know about headmaster Dumbledore breaking into my quarters during my absence. Yes, he did that without my permission and if you must know he has done so quite a few more times in the past."

"Then…Then why didn't you say or do anything?" Flitwick asked.

"Because filing a complaint about him would mean him either being sacked from his post as headmaster or be arrested by the aurors, whichever happens first," Harry said, "and neither of those things would be good for this school."

"I don't get your meaning," Flitwick said.

"It is headmaster Dumbledore whose presence has maintained this school's decorum and security," Harry said. "While I hate to say that I don't trust him any more just like I did when I first came to Hogwarts, thinking on a broader scale and considering everyone's security it is important for him to stay at Hogwarts as some sort of strong figure because I don't need to tell you how many people are eyeing this place." Flitwick nodded at that knowing exactly what Harry was talking about. Even the education board wasn't all fair and good. There were members there who had their own agenda regarding this castle and with Dumbledore's removal they would certainly push for their beneficiaries to take his place.

"So what do you do about this situation?" Flitwick asked.

"I let it all play out," Harry said. "This is just my first year and I don't want to gain unwanted attention by doing things that I don't need to. I have my belongings secured and it doesn't matter to me anyway if the headmaster tries to break in and look around. We have an entire study group with students that number as close to fifty coming every evening at my quarter. Do you really think I would be that dumb to let them all in without securing my personal belongings?"

"I never thought it like that," Flitwick said.

Harry nodded. "I understand why you are concerned and as a faculty you coming to tell me that has only made me respect you even more but as a head of three noble houses I was taught to handle things like this so I can tell you that I have everything under control on my side."

"Looking at you and then hearing your words it looks like there's a middle-aged man with lots of experience inside that eleven year old body," Flitwick said. "I suppose you've heard this a lot already but your parents would've been really proud of the man you've become and becoming. There's a lot more steps for you to climb on to and you already have proven your worth. Anyone trying to mess with you should think twice."

"I appreciate those words," Harry said.

"So, I suppose you wouldn't tell me what happened to you after…you know…after that night?" Flitwick asked. "If it is alright with you can I ask who took care of you?"

"I would like to keep that to myself, professor," Harry said with a smile. "I know your intentions are good but I cannot reveal things that will endanger me and my friends in any way whatsoever. I hope you understand that."

"I do," Flitwick said. "I totally do. Sorry for taking your time."

"You don't have to apologize," Harry said. "You are a professor and I am a student. You can call me anytime you want and I will be there. That is our respective roles to play."

Flitwick smiled as he bid goodbye to the eleven year old. As Harry walked away Flitwick looked at him go wondering what kind of a man would he become once he grew up.

00000

Hermione waited at the corner of the corridor looking at the students coming out of the common room. Many were eyeing her and that too with a look of utter hatred but also some confusion. Needless to say she was standing near the entrance of the Slytherin common room. She knew she would be subjected to lots of stares and angry ones, too. Perhaps it was a good thing all the faculties had made this a new rule that had stopped the seniors from bullying the first years since the start of their study groups that Hermione was only being stared at and not being said something horrible. Finally she saw him coming out of the common room and he looked at her. She left the place knowing he would follow her without letting others know.

It was common knowledge that many of the first year Slytherins had made friends with students from other houses because of the study group but Draco knew he had a reputation to maintain back in his house and so publicly he never hanged out with either Hermione or Neville. Harry was a different case and if some Slytherins saw him with Harry it would only be seen as an alliance that Draco was trying to form with house Potter.

Coming out in the school grounds Hermione stopped at an empty area bear the trees by the side of the Black Lake. Draco was there about a minute later making sure no one had seen him. "You pulled a real risky move out there, Granger," he said.

"I had to since you told me you like me out of the blue!" she replied before going silent. "Why…Why did you say that?"

"I don't know," he said sounding completely honest. "Coming from a pureblood family I was confused myself but I don't know why I am attracted to you…" he realized what he had said and shut up as he looked nervously at her. She looked down at her feet but he did notice the side of her lips twitch upwards a little. That gave him a bit of confidence. "You are really intelligent," he said in a single breath and also a bit loud causing both Draco and Hermione to look up and around to see if they'd been heard. Thankfully there was no one there. She then looked at him.

"Aren't we too young to have those feelings?" she asked.

"Nothing wrong with…wait," Draco stopped. "Did you just include yourself in that sentence?" Hermione blushed a little before smiling. "So…So you…you like me, too?" he asked.

"I haven't decided on it yet…but…but I would like to," she said slowly, "…in the coming days."

"So…so does that mean we're…you know…boyfriend and girlfriend?" he asked. He was shaking in nervousness and that was visible in his voice. It was shaking as well.

"If it is can we please keep it a secret?" Hermione asked.

"Wh…Why?" Draco asked.

Hermione's smile vanished as she raised her eyebrow. "Seriously? You know how to play politics and you're asking me why?" Draco was still confused. "Do you really think announcing…this will make things better for you and me involving others? Not only will I be targeted at Gryffindor but you will, too by your own housemates. I understand that you have an image and a demeanor to maintain because your house demands it so I am telling it for both our benefits."

Draco nodded, understanding her decision as he smiled. "You really are the brightest witch of your generation."

"Really? Who said that?" she asked.

"I heard McGonagall talking about you during dinner one night with Nearly-Headless-Nick," Draco said. Hermione smiled. "So, boyfriend and girlfriend?"

"I guess so," she said. "But promise me you won't tell anyone about it, though."

"I promise," Draco said. "But what if someone figures it out themselves?"

"We'll have to think about that one," she said.

**00000**

**A/N: Thanks for reading…**


	13. Chapter 13

"Do you remember?" she asked entering the room.

"Everything is hazy and blurred," Voldemort replied. "You have to understand that it was a traumatic night for me. Not only was I pulled into a trap but was also incapacitated using muggle means. Talk about embarrassment!"

"Nothing matters in comparison to life, Tom," she said. "You should know that better than anyone. "Now try and focus. Remember where or who could've been there to have received your soul that night."

"There was no one alive that night after the explosion," Voldemort said.

"Potter was," she said. Voldemort's eyes widened. "And you have seen his pictures in the newspaper. A scar that old should've been healed by now. A scar that he tells he got from the explosion that night."

"Is my…He is my horcrux?" Voldemort asked.

"One you never wanted to have," she replied. "If you are still unsure than I can perhaps help you."

"I will not let you be inside my head!" he hissed.

"It will be a lot faster," she said. "Besides, you don't look so sure about Potter being your horcrux." Voldemort didn't reply. He got up and walked towards the door. "Already running out?' she said as she caught the smell of decay. "I have a replacement for you. A pureblood." He turned and looked at her. She smiled through her hood.

Voldemort followed her to a room where he saw a wizard tied up from head to toe. From the looks of it he'd been struggling to break free for quite some time now. "Who is he?" Voldemort asked.

"Does it really matter?" she said. "You wouldn't be going public with his appearance." Voldemort sneered. "He's got no family…not anymore. I was hungry so I went on a little hunting spree, thought I would bring you a present."

Voldemort looked at her before his body started too convulse violently. His arms and legs began to thrash as Nagini came beside him, careful enough to be not stepped upon by her master. A minute later a smokey figure escaped from the body that Voldemort had and entered into the body of the tied wizard. He stopped struggling before opening its eyes. She smiled seeing the familiar glow in his eyes. "Comfortable?" she asked.

"A lot!" Voldemort said. "You have my gratitude."

"Don't need it," she said waving her hand as she picked up the body which had served as Voldemort's host up until now and placing her hand on its chest closed her eyes. The body started to dry up in her hand until it looked like a thousand-year old mummy. Voldemort looked with piqued interest.

"I never saw you eat," he said.

"Do you like it?" she asked looking at him. "Though I must admit you consumed a lot of his magic while you were inside him."

"I don't even want to think that I had to reside in a mudblood to survive," he said.

"Survival is survival," she said. "You should be glad he didn't resist much unlike the one you are in right now. So, how are you feeling?"

"Better," he said. "I think I am ready."

"Then do it," she said.

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"You okay?" Harry asked.

"What? Yeah," Hermione said. "Why? What's wrong?"

"You just look out of place since morning," Harry said.

"Lots on my mind," she replied. "Mom and dad finally agreed to let me have a pet. I can't decide which one to choose."

"How about an owl?" Neville said. "Owls are amazingly intelligent creatures and you can use ot to exchange letters with your parents."

"I still haven't thought about it yet," Hermione said. "Meet you in class," she said finishing her breakfast and leaving for her class.

"So?" Harry asked.

"I see it but it doesn't have to be what you are suggesting," Neville said before he, too, got up and followed Hermione out of the great hall.

"I don't think so," Harry said to himself as he looked at Draco who was secretly looking at Hermione leave the great hall before his eyes fell on Harry and he visibly looked shocked for a moment before regaining his expressions and nodding at him. Harry nodded back before they too, left for their first class of the day.

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Months had passed and with that the end of the term also came to an end. Everyone was packed and ready to leave the next day as they all had their last dinner for this term in the great hall. Everyone was ecstatic. The seventh years will be graduating in the next month or two and will join different works in the magical and muggle worlds according to their choice and caliber.

The fifth years looked relieved as their OWL exams were finally complete. Now they could focus a little on having some fun before coming back next year and continue on.

Harry was sitting at the Gryffindor table with Hermione and Neville discussing random things and questions about how they would all spend their summer when Dumbledore rose from his seat and walked up to the podium, clearing his throat to gather everyone's attention.

"It seems another term has come to an end," he said. "This year was an experience to our new comers who would become seniors starting the next term so I hope they've learnt some things to set good examples of themselves for the coming first years. I would like to congratulate the fifth and seventh year students who, it seems, have successfully completed their OWLs and NEWT exams. Always remember that this castle will always have a place for you all.

"Now," he paused, looking at everyone's eager faces, "for the moment you've all been waiting for – the house cup declaration. On the fourth we have house Hufflepuff with eight hundred and thirty two points." Everyone clapped although the Hufflepuffs didn't look that happy. "In the third place we have house Ravenclaw with nine hundred and eleven points." He clapped followed by everyone else. Flitwick raised his glass to his students who looked happy but not content. "And now…" everyone quiet down as they all eyed to the two tables who showed the most amount of rivalries than any other house in Hogwarts. "With one thousand and forty seven points we have…Slytherin taking the house cup for this term!"

Everyone at the Slytherin table stood up on their feet screaming and shouting with joy. On the head table faculties congratulated Snape who showed no interest in it at all but still shook hands with his fellow professors.

"Gryffindor takes the second place with one thousand and twelve points," Dumbledore said. "But let's not forget that these points do not define you. You all matter as your own individual selves. Never forget that. May you have a joyful summer and I wish luck to the final year students. You have a new journey waiting in the outside world so make it count. I wish you all luck and congratulations."

Everyone clapped as Dumbledore walked back to his seat. The students and faculties alike started to get up and go to their respective quarters and house towers.

"No one's going to sleep tonight in our house," Neville said.

"Why's that?" Harry asked.

"the twins have convinced the seventh years to throw a party since they've completed their education here," Neville said. "And I am so much tired because I decided to help professor Sprout today in the second half since we didn't have any class then. I am dead tired."

"So come into my quarters," Harry said. "In fact why don't you two come? It's our last night here and the professors won't be minding it anyway. And…" he said as Hermione was about to speak, "…I will ask Professor McGonagall if she has any objections regarding that."

And she did not. Being here for over fifty years as a professor she had seen how chaotic these nights became. Harry also asked Draco but he denied saying he would rather spend his last night of the term with his house mates as they might have things or messages to share with him and his father. It was all political.

"So what do you guys want to do?" Harry asked as they entered his quarters. Both Neville and Hermione had brought their belongings as well as they would be leaving from there the next morning.

"I am dead tired so I would like to go sleep if you don't mind," Neville said.

"Not at all," Harry said. They saw as Neville left them as he went towards an empty room with a bed. He was soon asleep.

"How long have you known?" Hermione asked.

"What?" Harry asked.

"Don't play innocent, Harry," she said. "I know you know about…about me and Draco."

"Oh, that," Harry said, remembering. "Yeah, I figured it out within a week."

"A week?" she said.

"It wasn't hard," Harry said. "I noticed how the two of you behaved when in public. It was even worse than when you didn't acknowledge your relationships."

"Was it that obvious?" she asked, biting her lip in nervousness.

"To certain eyes, yes," Harry said. "Not so much for others as far as I can tell. So, do you really consider that?"

"I don't know," she said. "It's not like I've been in a relationship before. I am only twelve. Besides, Draco took me by surprise when he told me he liked me."

"And you just responded back positively," Harry said.

"Did I make a mistake?" she asked.

"No one can tell," Harry said, "but as a friend all I can tell you is just please be careful. We're young…you're young and this is Draco we're talking about. He's got agendas and plans inside his head so I would be careful if I were you but I can also be wrong, you know. What do you think about it?"

"He did say his parents might not approve of this relationship," Hermione said. "He also said that he would try and convince them but not now. He said he would do it once we were a little older. I thought that was a right thing to do. Can you imagine how my dad would react if he came to know that his twelve year old daughter already had a boyfriend and that too was someone who was based and prejudiced showing blood preferences as someone's purity and strength? He would lose his mind and so will my mom."

"So wait?" Harry asked.

"Wait," she replied. "And don't tell anyone about this. It's for both our sakes – me and Draco."

"I understand," Harry said.

00000

The train ride back to London was an eventful one. Surprisingly Draco spent almost half the time with Harry and others before leaving for his house mates.

Getting off they bid goodbyes to each other before leaving for their respective homes. Bart had not come to pick Harry but he already knew that. He had received the letter the last night. Once everyone had left he secretly walked to the barrier from where he apparated to his house.

00000

Harry wasn't surprised when he found Sirius at his place. He spent most of his time there. Apparently he and Bart got along rather well which was surprising for Harry as Bart wasn't a guy who preferred much of a company. Anyway Sirius was glad Harry was home as the boy found his godfather enveloping him in a tight hug. He had definitely gained in his health and Harry was happy for that.

Remus came in the evening, seeing Harry for the first time. It was an experience of sort for the werewolf but he controlled his emotions and didn't break into tears when he first saw the boy he had only seen about eleven years ago on the night he was born. Remus didn't actually ever got a chance to see Harry since then as they all got busy with their lives. During the finals days of James and Lily Remus was there but was too busy because of the threat that he never once got to see Harry so seeing him now was definitely an experience for the poor werewolf. Eventually he broke down in tears and cried for minutes on Harry's shoulders. The boy stood there patiently waiting for it to be over before he looked at him and said that everything will be alright.

00000

When Hermione woke up in the morning and came downstairs for breakfast she was bombarded with questions by both her parents. Apparently they had closed their clinic today to stay at home and spend it entirely with their beloved daughter. His parents sat on either of her sides asking her questions. She would answer as much as she could which was a lot. Eventually they were done with it and then the Grangers left for shopping. Hermione was ecstatic spending the coming days with her parents again. Her was her first time going away from her parents and all three Grangers knew that. Perhaps this was why her parents bought her whatever she wanted that day as they would be leaving for France in a week for a much needed vacation.

00000

Draco was seen sitting in his father's study the very next morning after his arrival. "Did he really consider it?" he asked. "I mean Potter told me but I didn't believe him that much."

"We have the official document of his confirmed words," Lucius said. "You're safe for now, Draco." Draco sighed.

"Will you do it, though?" Draco asked. "You know the consequences if this ever came out."

"It's better than losing you all," Lucius said. "He said he had a way to destroy it and that they were looking for others as well."

"So that's it?" Draco asked. "It will be over just like that? What about the others? They will come if they even get a hint that you were involved in all of this."

"I guess we'll have to hope they don't," Lucius said.

It was an hour later that Draco came out of his father's study. He had never seen his father like that. Somehow he looked more vulnerable and more humane. He also looked guilty. If his father was really feeling all those things than Draco might have an idea what he was going through right now. Perhaps he would write a letter to Harry for a meet in the coming days.

00000

Harry was sitting in the living room reading off of a book when he saw Bart walk in. he then noticed the leather covered diary in his hand. "Is that what I think it is?" he asked standing up.

"It is," Bart said placing the diary on the table before sitting down.

"But we don't have what it needs to destroy it," Harry said. "Where in hell are we going to get basilisk's venom?"

"There's one in Hogwarts," Bart said.

"What?" Harry said. "They have a mythological magical snake in that castle knowing it's vision is fatal to any and every one whosoever sees it?"

"No one knows about it," Bart said. "Well, no one but Dumbledore."

"Of course he does," Harry said. He then looked at Bart's face. "So, how do I get it?" Bart looked at him. "You clearly can't come to Hogwarts so I have to be the one to do it. So, how do I do it?"

Before I tell you that can I be assured by you that you will handle yourself with a calm and collective mind?" Bart asked. Harry nodded. "Do you remember your training?" Harry nodded again. Bart sighed. "The basilisk that is in Hogwarts is or rather was a personal pet and familiar of Salazar Slytherin. He kept it a secret from the rest of the founders because they would object him keeping such a dangerous creature inside a school. Needless to say no one knows about it."

"So how do you know?" Harry asked.

"He did mention about it in one of his many journals," Bart said. "I happened to get my hands on one of them when I was in Hogwarts. Someone else did, too."

"Who?" Harry asked. "Was it Dumbledore?"

"He's not that lucky," Bart said with a smile. "It was Voldemort or rather Tom Riddle. When he was first introduced to the magical world, like all the other 'newcomers' he went to Gringotts to open a vault. There he came to the realization that he was a direct blood descendent of Salazar Slytherin. As per his request Gringotts kept that record a secret and in turn forged a new, fake one. When he had first met Dumbledore he had read that man then only, already knowing that that old man would get his ways through means of lies, manipulation and use of his intellect and image."

"Sounds like he was a sound judge of character," Harry said.

"Had Tom not succumbed to the dark powers of magic he'd perhaps be one of the greatest wizards of all time," Bart said. "He had that kind of power and caliber, too. This was why he got the attention of Dumbledore. Dumbledore knew shaping someone like Tom to his will would bring him great achievements. By having someone like Tom on his side would prove immensely helpful. Things didn't turn out that way, though. Hogwarts changed Tom and not to mention his upbringing as well…for the time that he'd spent in that orphanage. His ideas clashed with Dumbledore and he began to resent him.

"During one of the summers he went to Gringotts to access Slytherin's vault where he found his journals. He used that time to read it all knowing events and things in Slytherin's life no one else knew about. During that he also learnt about his familiar that was in the castle or more probably under it."

"The Basilisk's buried?" Harry asked.

"It's not," Bart said. "Do you know the rumors about the chamber of secrets?"

"It's true?" Harry asked.

"About fifty or so years ago Tom finally figured it out how he could get to this chamber," Bart said. "He found the way to get inside it and then controlled the basilisk. The basilisk, being a familiar to Slytherin now answered to his direct blood descendent who was Tom. Tom used that basilisk to kill one student…a girl who was muggleborn."

"Something tells me he didn't actually have that exact motive in his mind," Harry said. Bart nodded.

"It was also the first time he had created his first horcrux ever – this diary," Bart said. "And he used his control over the basilisk to take that girl's life to complete the ritual. People got suspicious. It was the first cold-blooded murder of a student inside the walls of the castle and news was likely to break which it did. Dumbledore had become the headmaster not long ago. He had only been the headmaster of Hogwarts since three years before Tom's arrival. Even before that Dumbledore had his influence over the then headmaster because of his political and magical reach. One could simply not resist an advice from someone who had taken down Grindelwald.

"News broke out and the education board and the rest of the magical population cornered Dumbledore demanding answers regarding the death of a muggleborn. In some ways or another Hagrid's name came up."

"The groundskeeper of Hogwarts?" Harry asked. Bart nodded.

"Hagrid was and I suppose still is known for his love of bizarre magical creatures," Bart said.

"You have no idea how right you are," Harry muttered.

"Tom saw this as an opportunity when he found Hagrid's pet arcamentula," Bart said, "and blamed the groundskeeper for being responsible for that girl's death. The authorities, finding no other evidence took Hagrid into custody and snapped his wand. He was taken to Azkaban where he served his sentence. Dumbledore made a deal with the then minister of magic and it was decided that Hagrid would be let out if he never owned a wand ever again and he never made dangerous creatures his pets. Needless to say that decision was not met with much praise ad support but people didn't question it either for Dumbledore was on Hagrid's side. By the time that had happened Tom had long since graduated from Hogwarts and had become worse and darker.

"That basilisk is still there," Bart said. "And it is almost a thousand years old. It had been Salazar's familiar since Salazar had first found it as a child."

"And he kept it a secret since that long?" Harry said.

"He was known to be a man of few words and not much is known about him," Bart said. "We need that basilisk's venom because trying to find that venom somewhere else will take who knows how long. Basilisks don't actually roam around on the ground you know. Besides, considering how old that basilisk is its venom will be far more effective than anyone else we might find out there."

"Don't basilisks have a dying year?" Harry asked.

"It is said that basilisks are immortal creatures," Bart said. "But not entirely though. They can be killed but if they are left alone or if they are not hunted down or killed they can live forever growing to unimaginable size. There is also no record of any basilisk dying of old age and I say this because one of my friends named Newt said it to me and there's no one like him that I've met who knew magical creatures more better."

"So roosters?" Harry asked.

"And also something effective," Bart said. "Since a basilisk's skin is almost impenetrable of any magic spells except a killing curse which you can't use inside the castle because the wards will then notify Dumbledore you will need something else."

"What?" Harry asked.

"You will have to inherit the power you were given," Bart said as he smiled. "Perhaps it is a good thing I trained you in swordfight."

00000

Snape was in a dilemma. He had been asked by Dumbledore about a report on the recent happenings amongst the death eaters. What could he tell when there was nothing to report? None of the death eaters were active right now and there was no one who seemed to have a plan for the future.

What he was thinking now was if it was worth it to be Dumbledore's spy. He remembered doing this just so he could pay his debts and serve penance for what he had done to Lily but Harry had turned out fine on his own. He knew getting back Lily was not something that was possible anymore. He didn't even have a picture of her and her parents were long dead. The only one was left was Petunia and he didn't want to do anything with her. She was one vile woman and he was glad he had kept his distance from her.

But he was still serving Dumbledore on the pretext that it would be a sort of penance for what he had done. Snape had one day thought about it in great depth and he had finally come to a conclusion. He would be cutting ties on both sides. Dumbledore no longer had any leverage on him and Voldemort was no longer around to come after his life. He would finally be free.

He was about to go to bed as he looked at the time when the sound of an owl pecking on his window grabbed his attention. It was the owl of house Malfoy as the crest that the owl wore said it. why would Lucius write to him out of the blue?

He let the owl in and took the letter from it. The owl didn't stay as it immediately flew away. Guess Lucius didn't expect a reply. Closing the window he checked for his quarter's personal wards and then security checked the letter before finally opening it. The handwriting indeed was of Lucius' and the letter was small and to the point.

When Snape was done reading the letter he had questions. He had lots of questions but he also doubted if Lucius will answer them all. Getting up from his chair he walked up to the floo and throwing in a pinch of the floo powder walked into the flames, coming out on the other side inside Lucius' home. The man was waiting for him in the living area.

"I thought you wouldn't come," Lucius said.

"Your letter intrigued me," Snape said. "Why?"

"Have a seat," Lucius said as Snape sat down and looked at his old friend. "Tell me you know about it…his secret."

"If you are referring to the dark lord than yes," Snape said.

"Then you also know that he's not gone," Lucius said.

"Which implies?" Snape asked.

"I have this feeling that wherever he is…he's trying to return back," Lucius said. "And when that happens he will come for those who left him on his own – you, me, everyone else."

"And your reason to bother?" Snape asked.

"My family," Lucius said. "I don't want him to have his influence on Draco. He's just a child."

"Funny you didn't think that when you were teaching him about the etiquettes of your house," Snape said.

"Teaching a future heir of a noble house his roles and responsibilities is far different than letting him be influenced by a mad man!" Lucius said.

"If anyone heard you say those words you'd have been dead by now," Snape said.

"And that is why I want to back out," Lucius said. "I am getting old and from the way I see it none of this is going to last much longer. Even when he returns and even if we…he wins there will still be people who would keep on fighting. And do you know who they will target to get to the dark lord? Us. They will target us…you and me…my son and my wife. They will target us because we had major roles to play in his quest. I don't want that kind of a life for my son. There's no point in teaching him about house etiquettes if there is no house."

"So you've decided to leave?" Snape asked. "I sure hope you know the consequences of that when the dark lord comes to know about it."

"If you're gonna stab me in my back than I will, too," Lucius said. "If you want to be so naïve than I, too, will tell him how you actually are on the side of Dumbledore only because of a mistake you did in the past. I guess we both know the dark lord won't need the truth serum to make you talk about it?" Snape didn't reply. Lucius sighed. "I know you are in on this because you are closer to Narcissa than me. Do you really want her to end up like all these women we've seen during the dark years a decade ago?"

"I won't be discussing this with anyone," Snape said as he stood up. "Consider us no longer allies, Lucius. I am not your enemy but I am also not your friend either."

Lucius smiled. "That's good enough for me," he said. "And if you mean that honestly…I have brought Black in on this mission of mine. I hope that wouldn't interfere with what you just told me." Snape's lips twitched but he didn't say anything. He simply walked out of Lucius' study and to the floo from where he flooed back to Hogwarts.

00000

"Would you keep it down?" Ron grumbled from under his blanket.

"Wake up if it disturbs you that much, silly," she replied.

Ron threw away the blanket as he sat up, looking angrily at his sister. "Watch your mouth when you talk to me!"

"If that hurts you that bad than perhaps you shouldn't have messed it up with Harry this year," Ginny said.

It was then that Ron noticed his bag of candies gone. "Where are my candies?" he asked.

"Mum took them away because you didn't deliver," she said.

"Ginny, this is no time for jokes!" Ron said as he got off his bed and started looking everywhere for his candies that Dumbledore had given him.

"Mum has them," Ginny said in a flat tone. "Go ask her. Although, I would say just forget about them. Mum's pretty angry that you didn't manage to establish even a normal relation with Harry. You just had to butt in and get on his bad side. Typical of you."

"Keep talking," Ron said. "It's a lot harder than it looks."

"Oh, really?" Ginny said as she stood on the door, about to leave the room. "Then let's bet on it. What will it be?"

"What will it be what?" Ron asked.

"I will be starting Hogwarts since the coming term and let's see who gets closer to Harry first," she said. "Whoever doesn't will have to listen to everything the winner tells them to do."

"For how long?" Ron asked.

"Only the winner will decide that," she said as she left the room.

Ron stood where he was as he thought about it. It shouldn't be that hard. He already was in the study group. All he had to do was try and talk to Harry…if only that idiot was there most of the time.

00000

"Were you able to come up with a plan?"

"I have," Voldemort said. "If he shares a soul of mine than it will be easy to look into his head. Once I get to know where he is all we have to do is go get him."

"We?" she said. "You mean you and your ugly snake, Tommy," she said.

Voldemort hissed but didn't say anything. He just closed his eyes and grabbed on to the little rune stone that was designed to amplify one's core for a few moments to get a push in magical power. The stone glowed as Voldemort's face clenched. It was hard as not having his original body meant he couldn't use is true powers. About thirty seconds later he opened hisi eyes, gasping for air.

"So? What did you see?" she asked.

"I saw nothing," he said. "I didn't even felt a sign of life coming from him."

"Well, he can't be dead," she said. "It's either that or they've found a way to take it out of him and have already destroyed it."

"That is impossible," Voldemort said. "I would've felt it if one of my soul was destroyed.

"I second that," she said to which Voldemort rolled his eyes.

"Can't you do something?" he asked. "I don't have much grasp of my powers to do it all by myself."

"You can," she said.

"What did you just say?" he asked.

"You can have a lot more power than this and even on a permanent basis," she said. "All you have to do is reunite with your parted souls."

"The resulting fluctuation of raw magic will destroy my host body," Voldemort said. "I need something to contain it – my own body, hence me asking you for help."

"I didn't say all of your souls," she said with a sigh. "Unite with one or maybe just two. That will be enough for you to go on for a few years in time of which you can get back your original body."

"Will this be able to handle it?" he asked, pointing to his current body.

"It can," she said. "We'll have to see."

**00000**

**A/N: Thanks for reading…**


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: This chapter had a mistake in the last section where I mistakenly wrote Dumbledore instead of Voldemort…the mistake has been rectified and sorry if it bothered anyone…thanks to the reviewers for bringing this to my attention when they mentioned their confusion over the last section…apologies for the mistake…**

**00000**

"Harry!"

Harry turned to see it was Hermione. She came running towards him, engulfing him in a tight hug. "Hey, Hermione," Harry said looking at her. "How was your summer?"

"Fun," she said. "We went to France and had lots of fun. What about you?"

"It was boring to be honest," Harry said. "Had to deal with a lot of family business…politics and inheritance stuff and all. I wish I could've gone somewhere to enjoy just like you did."

"Is he the one?" Hermione's father said as he and her mother approached them. "Are you Harry? Hermione told us a lot about you."

"It's a pleasure to meet you Dr and Dr Granger," Harry said.

"A boy with manners," Mr Granger said. "You don't see that everyday do you?"

"Harry's a lord, dad," Hermione said.

"Really?" her mother said looking at Harry with wide eyes.

"Not really…" Harry said, running his hand over his hair.

"No, he really is," Hermione said.

"I never realized that," Mr Granger said as he stepped back a little and eyed Harry from top to toe. "Well, it's an honor to meet you, Lord Potter."

"Don't make this uncomfortable for me, Dr Granger," Harry said. "Even I don't like that title myself but I have to live with it. I suppose you guys met Bart?"

"That lovely old man," Mrs Granger said. "It was fun meeting him at the beginning of last year here."

"You're in luck," Harry said. "He will be here any moment."

Just than Bart apparated beside them causing Hermione's parents to jump in surprise. Bart dusted off his attire. He looked as if he'd had a roll on a grass field. There were pieces of grass hanging on to him. He was obviously in his 'old disguise' for Hermione's parents and Hermione who only knew him this way. He and Harry had no intention of changing that.

While Hermione's parents engaged in a casual random conversation with Bart Harry and Hermione boarded the express and found an empty compartment to settle in for the eight hour long journey to Hogwarts. Soon enough they were joined in by Neville. Draco only peeked in for a moment before heading ahead towards the first class where rich kids or more accurately Slytherin kids sat.

As they chatted along the train gave the final whistle before beginning its journey to Hogwarts. Goodbyes were shared as the train left the station. Everyone settled in confortable and Draco joined in an hour later. It was understandable as he had another reputation to maintain back in his house although he told them that the Slytherin house had started to suspect that he was actually friends with Harry and others. still they couldn't do anything because of Draco's father's influence over the dark pure blood families which almost comprised the entirety of house Slytherin.

They talked, laughed and discussed their experiences and adventures throughout the summer. Draco kept silent most of the time. Neville had opened up more towards the others and everyone appreciated this new side of him. Half way through the journey there was a light tap on the door and the four of them wondered who it could be. They had applied privacy charms so as to not be disturbed. Perhaps a first year, maybe.

Hermione got up and opened the door to see a red haired girl she'd never seen before. Definitely a first year, maybe. "Yes?" she asked.

The young girl ignored her point blank and peeked inside. Her eyes immediately found and fixed on Harry as she smiled innocently and a bit seductively towards him which made her look completely weird by the other occupants inside the compartment. Neville even shivered as he felt an uncomfortable shill run down his smile when he saw that girl's expression.

"I was wondering of there was an empty enough place for me," the girl said. "Everywhere else is full."

Hermione turned towards others. no one said anything. Draco sighed and got up, walked towards the door. Hermione stepped aside, looking at him for a moment as Draco took her place, stared down at the girl. "As you can see this compartment is full. Sorry, we don't have enough space for you. I hope you understand."

The girl looked at Harry, smiling once more, sending Neville into that catatonic state momentarily once more before apologizing to them and Draco as she left them to their own devices. Draco closed the door and re-applied the privacy charms, a much stronger layer this time.

"She freaked me out," Neville said.

"Who makes a face like that?" Draco said as he sat beside Hermione this time who shifted a little away from him. Draco looked at her before ignoring her causing her to open her mouth in mild surprise but she collected herself. She could not let others know about it yet. Unknown to her Harry and Neville secretly smiled at Draco who smiled back at them.

"She looked familiar, though," Neville said. "I can't happen to ignore that ridiculously familiar shade of red that her hair was."

"Weasely," Draco said flatly. Everyone looked at him. "It's her, Ginerva Molly Weasely, the youngest Weasely and a precious one of her entire family."

"She's starting this year?" Neville asked. Oh, yeah. I forgot."

"Ron's sister?" Hermione asked. She then looked at Harry who'd already figured it out according to her. He looked back at her and shrugged.

"It seems they're persistent," Harry said.

"That smile was not normal!" Neville said.

"Yup," Draco said folding his hands together. "Looks like you've got yourself a charmer, Potter."

Harry sighed tiredly. "I don't want to deal with any of this right now," he said much to Draco's pleasure who was smiling wide. "Let's just head to Hogwarts." He leaned on his berth comfortably and closed his eyes. He wanted to get some sleep because he didn't know if he'd be able to get some tonight. He had received something from his godfather which Harry's father and his friends had made back when they were students. He knew what he had to do this year and he was a bit nervous about it not because he thought he couldn't do it but because he thought he might endanger some innocents' lives so he had to be completely sure about it.

Reaching Hogwarts they boarded off the train and looking at the seniors headed towards where the carriages waited for them. Harry completely ignored the thestrals as he got on the carriage with the rest of them and headed towards Hogwarts.

Dinner feast was entertaining seeing the first years nervously being sorted into different houses as Harry and others enjoyed their meals. The red haired girl was Ron's sister and when she learnt that Harry was not in Gryffindor like she was she was visibly sad as she looked at Harry sitting at the Gryffindor table. she soon came to know from Ron that Harry didn't represent any house in particular since he was an emancipated minor.

Hermione came to know that she will be sharing her dorm with Ginny. She found surprise there as she didn't know different year students could have the same dorms. Her other dorm mates were also confused but Ginny wasn't. She ignored Hermione just like in the train and headed for her bed.

Morning hit with the students getting their new term's schedules during breakfast. Everyone who was in the study group got to know that they will be continuing starting that evening. This time they hoped to be a bit ahead of the class schedules and the professors couldn't be happier about it, especially Flitwick and McGonagall who, of course, didn't show her happiness on her face but inside she was giggling with joy and pride.

Dumbledore had surprisingly left to go somewhere the very next morning after Harry and others' arrival the last night. McGonagall told them some random excuse which Harry didn't even seem to bother. It was better that Dumbledore wasn't in the castle. He would, however, have to scan every corner of his living quarters because he was absent from it for the remaining of the summer and he knew Dumbledore had access to his quarters. He couldn't do so last night because he was actually tired and had fallen asleep as soon as he had hit the bed.

Once the classes were over Harry was approached by Ginny who skipped high enough so that her skirt which was already about an inch or two above her knees would move even up with hopes that Harry would notice her fair young and fresh legs and feel something about it. She was, however, disappointed that he didn't respond to her quirks and simply kept walking. She didn't let it show on her face though as she had been told by her mother to expect things like this.

"Harry, can I talk to you for a minute?" she asked.

"What is it?" he asked without looking at her and kept walking towards his quarters.

"I was wondering if I could join the study group," she said.

"Follow me," Harry said. She looked at him for a moment thinking if this really was that easy as Harry led her towards his quarter's entrance where already a group of students were standing. Many were coming as well. She didn't expect this. Harry placed his hand on the mural which was on the door and it swung open. He then stepped aside for everyone else to enter after which he entered as well. he left the door open like he did every time as long as the group was in session.

Soon her was joined in by Hermione, Neville and Draco who all were informed by him about Ginny's intention of joining the group. Hermione presented her with the contract which she read and although she understood the risks that were involved if she signed on the paper she did either way and submitted it to Hermione who than officially welcomed her to the group. After that Ginny was told to go to the common area where everyone else was. She did so hoping that Harry would soon join them all but he didn't. She waited and waited until she realized that everyone was done. She couldn't believe it. He hadn't showed up! she looked at her brother Ron who seemed to have recognized her confusion was beamed at her which made her fume even more.

She then asked a student beside her about that and he said that Harry and others rarely studied with them. Unless someone had doubts the rest of the students in the group couldn't solve they didn't show their face. Apparently Harry and his small group of friends or allies as some Slytherins referred studied in one of the private rooms of Harry's quarters.

Ginny couldn't believe it. "Enjoyed your first day?" Ron's words only made things worse for her. Needless to mention she went to the owlery that night after dinner and wrote a lengthy letter to her mother explaining the betrayal she was feeling because of what Harry had done with her. Those two were supposed to be together. That's how it had to be!

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Voldemort could not believe what he saw. She was smiling standing behind him, a smile of satisfaction over his confusion and horror. The stench of decayed flesh covered the air around them but that didn't bother any of the two. Over the weeks he had finally managed to find the horcrux he never intended to make. With failures at every step whenever he tried to look for the anchor's location he had finally found it in one of his own memories of that fateful night of Halloween.

In front of him on the ground lay a decaying body of Peter Pettigrew. The muggle authorities had found the man and finding no information as to who he was they had buried him in the public cemetery not far from Godric's Hollow. He just had a tombstone with nothing written on it signifying he had died and the authorities had failed to figure out who he was. Only the date of his death was engraved and nothing else.

"Is it still there?" she asked.

Voldemort sat on his knees as he waved his hand over Pettigrew's now unrecognizable face. An eye popping out had maggots crawling inside it just like the rest of his body. Most of him was gone as he, too, was caught up in that explosion, dying instantly. He never was a man of endurance. His animagus represented him accurately – a rat like he was – a rat.

"It is here," Voldemort said, "my seventh horcrux."

**00000**

**A/N: Small chapter…**

**Thanks for reading…**


	15. Chapter 15

Harry gasped as he was thrown back on the chair he was sitting. The silence of his quarters' emptiness surrounded him once more as he looked at the diary he was inside a few moments ago. He now knew what he needed as he looked at the time. It was three in the morning and classes would begin in the next five hours.

Getting up from the chair he walked over to his trunk from which he pulled out the marauders' map. Opening it revealed the entire demographical information of the castle. Except for a few faculties who were on their hourly nightly exertions around the castle everyone was asleep. Dumbledore hadn't returned yet. There was no telling when he will come back. No one knew where he was.

For Harry that was a good thing as he would get more time on his hands without worrying about the old man. He had scanned every inch of his quarters using magic and mundane means. He had found three trinkets that were foreign to his quarters and six of the furniture charmed with layers of spying and mild mind control magic spells. He cancelled them all and for the trinkets he let them be as they were. It was to keep the old man in deceive just so he wouldn't get alerted of Harry's knowhow.

Folding back the map he kept it inside his robe as he cast a mild warming charm around him as it was a bit cold outside. Grabbing his invisibility cloak that belonged to his father he wrapped it around himself walked out of his quarters. Ten minutes later he was in the abandoned bathroom on their unused floor famous for being haunted by Moaning Myrtle, the first ever girl to have died out of unknown causes inside Hogwarts and Tom's first sacrifice for his first Horcrux.

He pushed open the door whose creaking sound echoed throughout the silent corridor. Harry clenched his teeth when he heard that sound before checking if anyone was near the vicinity to have heard it. fortunately there was no one around. The map showed Logan, Sprout and McGonagall who each were on the bottom floors finishing their nightly check around the castle for the night.

Getting inside he locked the door with a charm and applied layers of privacy spells just in case. He looked around and could easily come to know why this bathroom was famous. It looked haunted, too. He knew about Myrtle. From what Bart had told him Myrtle had a bad case of screaming at anyone who came into this bathroom mostly because she wanted to be left alone and students loved teasing and bullying her, the later which Harry thought was a bit ridiculous as he walked around looking at the ginormous built of this place. Who would need a bathroom this big, he thought as he scanned the entire place using his magic. His map which also showed the location of ghosts had already told him that Myrtle wasn't in the bathroom right now. Like all ghosts she was bound to the bottom floors after one in the night. It was the magic of the wards around the castle to ensure some students don't get a sudden scare and die out of fear as it had happened during the early years of Hogwarts' establishment.

Finally after spending more than an hour inside the bathroom he found what he was looking for. It could've been because this bathroom was in the Slytherin tower whose basement housed the Slytherin dungeons but the taps above the basins around the huge center pillar were carved and the carvings were that of snakes. This had to be it and it made sense as this bathroom was directly above the Slytherin dungeons.

Stepping back he took out the rune stone that Bart had given him when Harry was leaving for this term. The runes drawn on the stone allowed it to act like a recorder. It was a spying rune stone which already had what Harry would need for this job as he placed the stone on the cold tile floor and stepped back before magically activating the stone's runes.

A hissing sound echoed throughout the empty bathroom before everything went silent. Harry wondered where Bart got the recordings of parseltongue but he could always ask questions later as the entire bathroom was filled with a low rumbling sound and Harry could feel the light vibration beneath his feet when he noticed the taps above the basins were shaking. Soon enough the center pillar started to part away until it was three times wider than its own circumference and then the part of the pillar which was facing Harry went underground and a path opened for him to enter.

Harry carefully walked closer as he picked up the stone and peeked inside the huge hole. He couldn't see the end so he cast a lumos spell and threw it down the hole. It disappeared after a minute.

The hole was deep.

He knew it couldn't be this easy. Even though the depth of this hole wasn't apparently known to him as it seemed infinite Harry was sure this thing had a bottom as it housed a thousand year old basilisk. Also there couldn't just be this door. There probably were a number of doors securing that snake from becoming a tool of purging the entire castle.

Harry stepped back, placing the stone back on the floor and activating it. The parseltongue echoed again and the entrance closed in a minute. He could understand why his parents, Sirius and Remus couldn't put in the Chamber into the map. This place was apparently not known by many people.

Returning back to his quarters Harry quickly wrote a letter to Bart and then used the floo to get out of the castle's wards and into one of the public floos of Hogsmead and then picking up a pebble from the street turned it into a portkey with his blood mark on it to make sure it entered through his place's wards then sent the letter to Bart. He would get it once he would return back.

Once Harry had made sure that the letter had been sent to his place he used the public floo again to get back into his quarters and went to get some sleep.

00000

"Why are you staring at it?" Voldemort asked. "Haven't you seen a horcrux before?"

"As a matter of fact I haven't," she said looking closely at the closed vial which contained a live slimy horcrux dancing around. "Not many are foolish enough to make one, you know?"

"Ensuring your survival is foolish you say?" Voldemort said.

"Ensuring you live a cursed and halved life is foolish," she said. "Not to mention it taints your soul – the parting of it. I still don't know why it attached on to your death eater friend and not that boy you spoke about."

"Wormtail was never my friend," Voldemort hissed. "As for how my horcrux attached itself to him I have no idea. It should've been gone over to that boy because he was the only living person near to me when the explosion took place."

"Broken souls don't have much energy themselves so this confuses me, too," she said.

"But we have my horcrux so let's move ahead with the plan," Voldemort said. "I will have my followers bring the rest once you've merged me with that."

She nodded putting the vial down as the wooden logs underneath the huge clay cauldron lighted up bursting out fire and the potion inside it started to boil vigorously. She then turned to face Voldemort who looked at the boiling hot potion with a bit of worry. She smiled. "Scared of a little heat, Tommy?" Voldemort snarled as he took off his clothes going completely naked. He ignored her eyes wandering down between his legs as she flicked her tongue seductively before looking back in his eyes, a new shine in her eyes as Voldemort tentatively walked towards the cauldron. He touched it but felt no heat coming off from the outside walls of the huge pot. She must've applied some charms to it, he thought as he tried to touch the hot boiling liquid. He instantly pulled back his finger which no longer had live skin around it to the part where he had dipped it inside the potion. He looked with wide eyes towards her. "What do you expect?" she said. "Physically you are no stronger than a new born baby. What do you think would've happened to your physical body if you'd forced it to live for periods longer than what's it meant for?"

"This isn't my original body," he said.

"But your soul is and you are feeding off too much from this host even right now," she said. "Now stop being a baby and go inside." Before Voldemort could say anything he felt himself being lifted up from the ground and dropped into the boiling hot potion. A few splashes before he went completely silent. A horrible stench covered the entirety of the place making it bearable for any mortal to breath in the air but there were no mortals in that vicinity at the moment. She stood calmly looking at the cauldron where the liquid boiled vigorously when a hand splashed out of it, its skin completely gone and bones peeking through the remaining muscles. A moment later Voldemort came out of the cauldron barely able to stand as she waved her hand and a shadowy black robe surrounded and then covered Voldemort's naked and skinned out completely burned body. He immediately fell on the ground, unable to breath due to the immense pain he was feeling at the moment. He looked helplessly at her as she stood looking back at him without any expressions on her face.

"He…Hel…p," he barely managed to speak.

"The healing would have to be from your own core," she said. "Don't worry. It will happen soon. Any addition of outside material be it potions or magic will ruin this process. You will have to just bear it. After all, it is your own soul."

Voldemort looked as if he was glaring at her but it was hard to tell as he had no eyelids left or any brows. His eyeballs bulged out dangerously and looked as if they will pop out any moment as he looked down and even in that state his anger overtook him as he punched the ground hard with his heavily incapacitated hand, regretting it later.

00000

When Bart saw the trinket shake he was worried immediately. He immediately cast some spells on it to reveal a sort of map to him to which he looked very carefully, his lips moving from time to time as if he was reading off of it. He then backed away, a look of worry on his face as he saw the wall in front of him. "Who helped you, Tom?" he said to himself. "Was it her? This is too soon!"

00000

Harry cast layers of privacy charms and wards around his bed as he sat back comfortably and tore open the envelop. Bart's letter had finally came back this morning. Opening it and reading its content he didn't find much help. He had written the same things he had already told Harry during the summer. Guess it was no help. Harry wondered thought how he would get his hands on that Gryffindor sword that Dumbledore had in his office. It wasn't that Dumbledore would be there. Dumbledore was still away from Hogwarts but his office would be locked. only McGonagall would have access to it as she was currently serving as the head of this castle in Dumbledore's absence and she wouldn't just give Harry the password. That meant that Harry would have to figure out another sharp or deadly weapon that would be able to kill that basilisk.

The Gryffindor sword would've been easy to use as it was also forged with magic and not just metal. The lacerations that it would've made on the basilisk would also make that beast vulnerable to spells after the physical attacks. That wouldn't be the case with any other physical weapon. In that case Harry would only have to rely on that weapon's attacks to bring down the beast as none of his spells would work on it. Not even the killing curse. No wonder why basilisks went extinct so long ago. The armors made from their skin protected even from the killing curse. The only problem was that they decayed very quickly as no preserving charms would work on them.

He sat there and thought…thought for over an hour when an idea came into his head. Perhaps getting his emancipation was a good thing. He immediately took some parchments and a quill to write a letter of absence to McGonagall explaining to her in that letter that he wouldn't be able to attend tomorrow's class because of some 'personal' house business. As per the regulations no authority of Hogwarts could stop him from leaving but it was mandatory to notify the head of the castle of his absence and so he was. Besides, McGonagall wasn't like Dumbledore. Her only problem was that she followed him blindly like many others despite being an intelligent and fair witch.

The next afternoon Harry was standing outside the house of a man he knew had contacts with Bart since a long time. It wasn't thought that he was here because of that. He was here because he needed this man's help and that Bart's connection with him would help Harry. He knocked again and the door clicked open revealing an old man. "Yes?" he asked looking at the young boy outside his house.

"You are Benjamin Woghorn," Harry said.

"Do I know you?" the old man asked.

"You don't," Harry said, "But you know our mutual friend Bartholomew Byron." The man's eyes widened. "I was wondering if I could talk to you about your family's old business."

"I don't want to go back on those dark days," the man said. "Tell Bart I said hi, though."

Harry used his magic to stop the door from moving from its place while simply standing there without moving a muscle. The man looked at him curiously. "Please, sir. I know it is hard for you to talk about those things but I wouldn't have come to you if I didn't need your help."

The man looked at him for a minute before stepping aside and letting him in. "Would you like some tea?" he asked.

"No, thank you," Harry said. "I would like some information."

"The way you spoke about my family tells me that you know what they did," Benjamin said. "To think that you know about them and that you are this young tells me that either you are Bart's apprentice or someone very close to him."

"Harry James Potter," Harry said, extending his hand. "Emancipated last heir and scion of the ancient and noble houses of Potter, Gryffindor and Peverell. It is a pleasure to meet you."

Benjamin looked at him for a minute before shaking his hand. "So you are aware of the world at this tender age, huh?" he said. "Must be hard coming to grasp of things without your parents."

"I had Bart," Harry said.

"What do you want to know?" Benjamin asked.

"I came to an interesting discovery," Harry said. "Do you know about the legend of the secret chamber that is said to be somewhere in Hogwarts' castle?"

"I do" Benjamin said nodding his head. "They say that Salazar Slytherin built an off-the-record magical secret chamber for his personal use which upset the other founders and so they parted with him once the caste's construction was complete."

"Then you must also know that it is being said that there was a monster…a beloved that Salazar had said to leave in that chamber before his depart form the castle," Harry said.

"A monster, they said," Benjamin said before he realized it. "You don't mean…"

"I see you've connected the dots," Harry said.

"It is still alive?" Benjamin asked.

"You should know better," Harry said. "A basilisk is basically immortal unless it is killed."

"But then that would make it as old as the castle itself!" Benjamin said. "And if that's true and if it is still alive then it must be huge!"

"And a danger to the occupants…the students inside the castle," Harry said. "Going out with this information would be a foolish move as the ministry will claim it for itself and we all know that any use of a basilisk's part or parts has been banned and is made illegal because of the dangers that it possess. Dumbledore is too blind to acknowledge its presence within the castle and so Bart and I have come up with a plan to take it out but we need your help."

Benjamin looked at him.

"Your ancestors were hunters," Harry said, "hunters of magical creatures…dragons, trolls, werewolves…basilisks. You surely have some idea as to how they did it all those years ago. With its skin being impenetrable from any of the magic it can only be hurt physically and for that they used a weapon. They also had some means to stay protected from that snake's death glare which is our topmost concern. I…we want to know anything that can help us with this one and you are the only one who can help."

"You mean the only one about whom the ministry doesn't know and is still isn't in Azkaban," Benjamin said. "And that gives you leverage over me…the leverage of blackmail."

"I have no intention of that but should it come to it then I think anyone can conclude that forcing it out of you would be the appropriate thing to do," Harry said with a calm yet controlled voice. "It is you versus all of Hogwarts and if that snake escapes the castle than may more. The judgment would be very quick and swift. So, what will it be? Will you tell me or will I have to use my leverage against you?"

He looked at Harry for a moment before sighing. "Any weapon with a long reach would work if you intend to go alone," he said. "For the glare my ancestors used a glass made from a mineral called hecatolite. Findings showed that a basilisk's glare acted more like the rays of the moon during a full moon night or during an eclipse. Hecatolite has properties of reflecting back those rays…in simple words it should prevent you from a basilisk's glare for some time but it depends on certain conditions."

"Conditions?" Harry asked.

"If you know about a basilisk and its basic immortal growth then you must also know that with age it only gets stronger," Benjamin said. "Using the mineral to avoid its death glare wouldn't be that efficient if a basilisk is rally old. No one knows what the limit is for that mineral but no one has also tested it against a thousand year old basilisk either. My conclusion is you will have no more than a minute if you are lucky. Thickness of the glass made form hecatolite results in nothing if you talk about increasing its effect from saving you from the glare. It is like what muggles call radiation. after a certain time the glare will penetrate through the mineral and then everything will be over."

"So all I have to do is carry some extra," Harry said.

"That is up to you to decide how much you can carry," Benjamin said. "Like I said, with age a basilisk's power increases and this basilisk is as old as that castle so there is no telling that the hecatolite mineral will even work. There is nothing else other than that which I know can be used as a substitute because when facing such a creature you don't have time to experiment be that creature a small child or a grown one."

"You said weapons with long reach," Harry said.

"I said that in contrast to the fact that you might possibly going with Bart at least," Benjamin said. "The less number of people the more safe it is to use a long range weapon. Also there is the rooster property which works better than anything."

"We have a plan for that," Harry said. "So, nothing else?"

Benjamin looked at Harry before standing up and walking towards his cupboard. He opened it and took out a rusty old axe. It was huge and it still had dried blood on it. "I will only give this to you if you promise to bring this back," Benjamin said. "This is a sort of family heirloom which is the only thing I have to remember my family as I cannot keep their pictures because the ministry and the aurors will know. Although this axe has lost its sharpness but I assume that wouldn't be much of a problem. My only request is if and when you bring down that basilisk please coat this axe's edge with its venom. A basilisk's venom is a great preservative."

Harry nodded as he took that axe from Benjamin and took his leave a few minutes later. All he had to do was write a letter to Bart about this hecatolite mineral and see what they could come up with.

**00000**

**A/N: Thanks for reading…**


	16. Chapter 16

Harry had received Bart's letter. This made things a bit difficult. With what Bart said was being true then Voldemort was more powerful than before. Fortunately there were two horcruxes Harry and Bart had knowledge about. The diary was with Harry as Bart had sent it to him and there was the Diadem of Rowena Ravenclaw somewhere here in the castle. At least Voldemort won't have those two in the near future if Harry was able to extract some of the venom from the basilisk in the secret chamber.

Harry wandered towards the school rounds making sure he was near the vicinity of Hagrid's hut who was growing a new batch of roosters for both the school's needs and his happiness. It melted Harrys' heard how much the half giant loved the creatures as if they were his own. It also made him sad that he would have to steal these creatures away from Hagrid so he intended to not let Hagrid know about who stole his roosters.

He had received glasses made from hecatolite mineral. It was fairly easily available in the magical black market as werewolves often used it as one of the construction additives in their house so as to avoid the rays of the full moon. According to what Remus had said when Bart had asked him about the mineral that it was rather effective but it was also costly so he couldn't afford it. Also avoiding a transformation led to the body reaching to a limit so if a werewolf transformed after preventing it for a few times his rage and bloodlust reached new heights. This was also one of the reasons why Remus didn't use the hecatolite mineral.

Harry had looked at the glasses. There were ten of them. He wondered why would Bart send him so many but then again he didn't know how strong the basilisk was going to be and Benjamin's words rang inside his head that it could be a possibility that these glasses might not even work.

Perhaps that was a good thing that Harry had his training then.

Taking a stroll around the small hut Harry noticed Hagrid had about fifty or so small roosters. They would do but Harry would need a lot of them as small roosters didn't produce that loud a sound so a good number of them would be what Harry needed to bring down the basilisk. Besides, that monster was a thousand year old at least.

Another month went by and Harry had managed to get himself acquainted with the ghost of the Grey Lady and that, too, after telling her the truth. It was something to see that expression of shock on her face but that gave Harry her trust and not to mention the location of where her mother's diadem was.

Two dragon leather containers laced with several layers of powerful wards accompanied by protection from rune stones made sure that the two horcruxes wouldn't affect anyone with their power to seduce and so one Friday night Harry grabbed the map, his cloak and the axe he had received from Benjamin and set off towards the abandoned girls' bathroom.

En route he stopped on the floor below his quarters and went inside an unused classroom which he had locked using several charms for security purposes and revealed a large cage where he had kept at least twenty roosters which he had stolen from Hagrid last night. Word was that the half giant didn't show during any of the meals today and McGonagall was also worried about who could steal roosters. She was adamant that some student had done it so as to prank the half giant and naturally her suspects were the Weasely twins. Harry didn't know what happened to them or whether or not they were able to get out of the deputy headmistress' clasps as he had bigger things to worry about.

He shrank the cage, picked it up and then put it in his pocket along with the axe and headed towards the bathroom. A careful casting of silencing spells on his foot ensure no one could hear his footsteps as he walked through the abandoned corridors at two in the night. Fortunately he didn't have to wait for any of the professors to go through as none were strolling in his route over to the abandoned bathroom.

Harry opened the door making sure he had applied silencing charms over the door's hinges, learning from his past mistake as h made sure that Myrtle's ghost wasn't there at the moment. That was the reason why Harry chose this hour. He walked towards the huge sink pillar, placed the rune stone on the floor, activated it and stepped back as the hissing sound echoed inside the bathroom and the pillar parted, revealing the giant hole. Harry then took out another rune stone that Bart had sent him and activated it. according to Bart this was just a guess that perhaps speaking words like 'open', ' stairs', 'climb', 'path', etcetera would make some sort of path appear down the hole. Harry was prepared to gently slide through the slimy sewer line of a hole in case the rune didn't work but surprisingly it did as long horizontal pillars came out of the walls inside the hole forming a series of stairs that went down. Harry wasted no time as he grabbed everything and climbed down the hole.

It smelled. It smelled like the sewers of a bathroom would smell. Harry didn't know because he had never smelled one but it smelled bad but nothing a bubble-head charm couldn't solve as Harry also threw in a lumos charm ahead of him as it was getting darker as he climbed down the hole.

A good twenty minutes of climbing down later Harry was finally at the bottom of the pit and stepping the foot first off at the base he immediately noticed the tiny bones of rats and other small animals that covered the base of this pit. He immediately did a quick proximity check because now his map was useless as it wasn't designed for this part of the castle because the chamber was unknown to anyone.

He knew he could add this location in the map but that wouldn't be a great idea at the moment. Bart had taught him how the map was constructed and the layers of spells behind it. It was a marvelous invention, a one of a kind that worked exactly like it was designed to and since it was directly and cautiously linked to the wards around the castle it showed location of any and everyone inside the castle and within the vicinity of the castle's wards. But the fact that it didn't show anything about this chamber said two things about it – the first one was that either the chamber was not added into the map because of the fact that no one knew about its existence or the fact that the chamber wasn't actually a part of the castle's wards.

Harry quickly did some complicated wand movements, utilizing both of his wands and the result was soon in front of him. The wards around the chamber was even older than that of the castle. If his guess was right that this chamber existed before the castle itself and the wards would make it more powerful a stronghold. Tis place could prove to be a quite effective bunker in case the castle was attacked. It was probably huge enough to house everyone in the castle also.

Harry walked further ahead, his lumos charm lighting the way when he noticed the huge round iron door with snakes on it. he also didn't miss to see the rather huge discarded skin of the giant basilisk that was supposedly behind that door. He had his hecatolite glasses on just in case. He knew that even with the glasses on he would have to avoid a direct eye contact with the creature because if Benjamin wasn't sure about this basilisk than Harry didn't want to take any chances.

Using the stone he opened the round door and then peaked inside. His surprise knew no bounds as he marveled at the scale of the area on the other side of the door. It looked lik a whole different world down here with seemingly no roof above it. This place could easily house three to four Hogwarts castle easily with space to spare.

Carefully walking down the ladder Harry noticed the place was seemingly flooded with an inch level of water. It was good news as Harry would easily be able to notice any other movement than his own in case someone or something decided to attack him.

Harry no longer needed his lumos spell as he realized this place was rather fairly filled with natural light. He wondered where the light came from but he had bigger problems to worry about. He could see the drag marks of the snake on the floor and they seemed wider than the skin that he had seen while coming here. No doubt that this snake had grown considerably larger. The marks were at least two meters thick and perhaps they were so old that the snake had probably outgrown them. There were lots of assumptions to make as Harry took the assessment of the situation and the place where he was.

He stopped a few yards away from the huge head statue of Salazar Slytherin. It was as if Slytherin thought himself as a dictator or something. This entire place was filled with his statues, the statues of snakes, his heads and whatnot. When carefully examining Harry noticed that the carving for the mouth of the giant statue head seemed separate from the rest of the statue itself it didn't take him any longer to know that the mouth was in fact a door.

Casting an assessment charm on the statue revealed it to be hollow from the inside and a very ancient locking spell on the door. Harry didn't know the key for it as he silently cursed but then took out his parseltongue rune stones and placing them on the floor activated them. He didn't know if they would work but when the rumbling sound filled the chamber he thought that maybe they did. Picking them up he immediately ran and hid behind one of the smaller head statues of Slytherin, the shrunken cage filled with roosters already in his hand.

The door slid open and a moment later Harry could already see the flicking tongue which he guessed was even thicker than his thigh. Half a minute later he saw the huge snake slide out of the mouth of the giant head statue and it was easily at least a hundred and fifty meters in length, not to mention the width of the snake was nowhere near to the marks Harry had seen on the floor. The snake was easily as thick as the Hogwarts express' boiler and that was saying something.

He knew casting any sort of transfiguration or conjuring spells to cover the snake's eyes wouldn't work as nothing magical would work on the snake. But that didn't mean that nothing muggle would not work in here either as Harry fished out a smoke bomb, enlarged it and threw it towards the snake. He then cast a bubblehead charm around his head to protect himself from the smoke which was a mixture of teargas and a very strong sedative designed to bring down animals like wild buffalos and bears.

The basilisk had acute sense of hearing as Harry wouldn't doubt as it immediately turned its head towards where the bomb had landed. It bent down, sniffing at the small gas filled grenade when it exploded. Harry didn't think the snake would get this close but it was in his favor after all.

An ear shattering scream filled the chamber as the snake screamed, thrashing its head from left to right. It seemed the sedative wasn't working but its eyes had definitely turned a very light shade of red. So Harry then threw the cage of roosters, enlarging it in mid-air and then breaking it apart. The clucking sound of the roosters falling on the floor grabbed the basilisk's attention increasing its screams.

Rooster sounds were a poison to its ears.

Harry grabbed the opportunity, taking out the axe and solidifying it with a summoning charm before throwing it towards the basilisk. As soon as Harry was out from his place of hiding and running towards the beast it looked at him. It was only for a millisecond and Harry was wearing the glasses but the glare's effect was felt by him and Harry immediately fell down, his head feeling very light as if there was no weight to it. He realized his nose was bleeding. So this was the power Benjamin was talking about. He also noticed that his hecatolite glasses had already cracked. He used a wind charm and brought a gust of teargas between himself and the snake, buying himself precious seconds in which he somehow managed to stand up, wear another pair of glasses and eyeballing the snake's tail threw the axe towards it with full force.

The axe connected and sliced deep into the snake's take only increasing the snake's scream as it thrashed its tail hard on the ground causing the axe to be thrown away. Harrys imply extended his arm, mentally summoning the axe as it flew back into his hand. This was a useful spell although it had limitations. He only had two rounds of it left before applying another one to it and Harry knew it would cost him valuable time in this situation which he could not risk. So he ran and hid behind another head statue, throwing another teargas bomb towards the basilisk. With the damage done to the snake all Harry had to do now was to cast a powerful spell where the cut was and nothing but the killing curse would do the job perfectly well.

The snake was distracted and Harry realized that because of the roosters its sense of hearing had been affected greatly as it didn't respond to the sound of the second teargas hitting the floor like before.

Harry knew that although the cut he had made was deep but its opening was small which meant he needed to get close to the snake in order for his spell to hit the damaged point. This was risky as one hit from that huge tail and Harry would break every bone in his body if he didn't immediately died from the impact.

Making sure the silencing spell was still intact in his legs he made a run towards the tail as the snake was still disoriented from the roosters and the teargas bomb. Once close enough Harry threw the axe at the tail, amplifying its speed with a spell once he had thrown it. The axe hit dead into the tail, cutting it in two. Harry cast a shield in sudden movement regretting it later as the Basilisk threw its tail towards Harry in retaliation without even knowing that Harry was there.

Harry's shied broke as if it wasn't even there and Harry's two hands took in the full force of the tackle of that tail. He felt the sharp pain which didn't needed to tell him that his arms were broken. He was thrown away but managed to somehow use wandless magic to cushion down his fall to some extent. He groaned in pain as the snake thrashed around. Harry knew he needed to finish it off as he mentally summoned the axe before throwing it towards the snake's head using wandless magic hoping to hit it but he didn't. He missed and regretted it. The summoning charm had worn off with the last throw and Harry was out of teargas bombs as well. Using wandless magic he pushed himself on to his feet and applied a jelly-leg charm on his left hand. At least that would give him some control over his hand as he leveled his wand towards the tail section of the snake.

The fact that this chamber was not linked to the wards of the castle was a good thing as casting this spell inside the wards of the caste would've alerted McGonagall. The green spell left Harry's wand, tearing through the smoke and hitting the snake's skin. It dissipated like nothing. Harry cursed, throwing another killing curse at it and missing again. It didn't help the fact that the snake had now noticed his location and was now heading towards him. Harry ignored the direction of the snake's eyes as his lightheadedness increased with each passing moment when something came into his mind. He changed the direction of his wand and threw a spell towards the roosters. It hit some of them and the basilisk fell down, screaming in agony.

Harry had quickly cast a sound amplifying charm on the roosters increasing their cries. The time that it gave him was god as Harry wasted no moment in casting a well-aimed killing curse at the cut section of the basilisk's tail where it spread throughout the snake's body killing it in an instant. Harry fired a few more just to be sure before casting a spell to make sure that the snake was actually dead. One couldn't be too sure around basilisk.

Carefully walking towards the beast Harry took out the vials he had brought with himself and also picked up the axe before using it to cut open the snake's closed mouth. With the monster dead and a spell destroying its ability to resist magic it was now easy to use any spells on the snake as Harry then used an extraction charm to pull out some venom from the snake's glands and stored it in the vials. He extracted more than enough before extracting some more to cover the axe just like Benjamin had requested. The man would be very happy.

Once getting what he had come here for Harry conjured a cage and put back whatever roosters were alive and hadn't been crushed under the snake and shrank it back into his pocket. He carefully placed the axe and the vials in a dragon leather pouch before securing it with several layers of protection charms before casting a rotting charm on the basilisk that would disintegrate the huge mass of this now dead snake within a week or two. Harry thought about coming back here once in a while.

By the time Harry returned back it was already morning and the sun was rising on the horizon. With his two broken arms it was a good thing that it was a weekend as he could rest and let his arms heal. He had the necessary healing potions for that although he would have to go to Pomfrey for his other hand which he had turned to rubber. A simple innocent excuse would be enough to make her believe in his young and curious mind. But first a few letters and packages were in order to be sent to Bart and Benjamin. Harry also wanted to be there when they destroyed the horcruxes.

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**A/N: Thanks for reading…**


	17. Chapter 17

"You were practicing spells?" Hermione asked, her face clearly showing that she didn't believe him.

"It was a complicated spell," Harry said. "It was just foolish of me to try it on to myself."

"Really? The spell of disappearing of one's bones…you tried to use that spell on your very hand?" she asked.

"Did you hit your head sometime in the night, Potter?" Draco asked.

"It's fine," Harry said. "Pomfrey gave me potions. Will you guys quit already?"

"You doing these things alone make us worry about you, Harry," Hermione said.

"She's right," Neville said.

"I heard what happened," Ginny said entering the room all of a sudden. "Are you alright, Harry?"

"Ginny, you are not supposed to be in here," Hermione said. They were currently in Harry's quarters where the study group, like always was in the main hall area. No one was allowed into any of the private rooms and Ginny was violating that rule right now.

"Let me see," Ginny said completely ignoring Hermione as she approached Harry.

"You are breaking rules, Weasely," Draco said.

"All I am doing is expressing concerns over Harry's condition," Ginny replied haughtily. "Now move aside. Harry needs me."

"Ginny, please get out," Harry said slowly.

"But, Harry, your arm," she said.

"I am fine," he replied. "As you can see I have friends around me looking out for me so you don't have to worry about me. you can go out now."

Ginny pursed her lips, wanting to talk back but decided not to. Getting him to trust her was her main objective and she would do anything for that. She simply nodded and walked out without saying anything. "Talk about clinging," Draco muttered. "Take it easy on yourself, Potter. We know you have the responsibility of your entire house on yourself but that doesn't mean you get to try spells on yourself. If you're that desperate then bring in some training dummies. I am sure McGonagall will have some lying around somewhere here in the castle."

"I can't thank you guys enough for looking after me," Harry said.

"We are your friends," Hermione said.

"And that's what friends do," Neville said. "Hermione and I will make sure to bring you notes for today's classes."

"Thanks," Harry said with a little smile as they all left his quarters. Harry locked his quarters making sure he wouldn't be disturbed before heading towards the great hall for dinner. When he entered the great hall some students looked at him. Obviously word had spread that he had injured himself while casting a spell. The support on his arm was proof of that. He ignored them all completely and sat next to Hermione and Neville. Ginny tried to gain his attention as he walked down but he ignored her.

Dumbledore had returned as Harry noticed. He might've been back not long ago as he wasn't here during lunch today. He was looking at him curiously, especially the arm strap. Harry raised up his mental shields as he sat beside Hermione and began filling his plate. They talked a little about random things, mostly assignments and school works as they finished their dinner before Harry returned back to his quarters once more. He re-checked everything outside and inside his quarters and found new spying charms at some places. He just overlapped them with some of his personalized privacy charms that Bart had taught him to make sure Dumbledore wouldn't hear anything or see anything. For the old man it would be like a surveillance camera recording an empty and silent corridor all the time.

Harry waited once he was inside his quarters. He looked at the letters that were carefully placed on his nightstand. They had the horcruxes and the basilisk venom. He had already sent Benjamin his axe back and had decided to take the horcruxes personally to Bart. He grabbed the necessary items needed or that he might need before sending off an application of absence addressed to Dumbledore as he flooed over to the Hogsmead public floo station from where he apparated over to the Potter Manor.

Bart returned the next morning as Harry welcomed him. He then handed him the goods which he had brought from the castle. They then headed over to the open areas of the estate where it would be a lot safer to destroy these horcruxes. "I talked to Lucius about Bella's vault," Bart said. "Lucius mentioned that Bella might definitely have one of Voldemort's horcruxes and she could have it in her family vault. Sirius was brought into the conversation and the dog animagus formed a plan and was currently at Gringotts nullifying Bella's marriage and disowning her from the Black family.

Harry noticed Bart taking out a very ancient looking dagger. He recognized the forging. It was goblin made. "Where'd you get that?" he asked.

"If you know the right place you can find anything," Bart said with a smirk to which Harry rolled his eyes as he chuckled.

"Cost a fortune?" Harry asked.

"It would be better if I didn't answer that," Bart said as he dropped a few drops of the very volatile basilisk venom on the sharp edge of the dagger and then wiped it off with a piece of fabric which started to decay as soon as it touched the venom. Luckily Bart was done before losing the entire fabric which he then incinerated to be safe. The dagger looked as if someone had blown a new life into it. All of the carvings had been restored and all of the corrosions had been removed. It looked completely new. The same had happened with Benjamin's axe when Harry had poured the venom on it.

"Let's try it, shall we?" Bart asked as he prepared to stab the diary first. Harry stepped back as he looked in fascination as Bart stabbed the dagger on the diary. The moment it connected to the diary it looked as if the diary threw out blood. Looking closely Harry realized it was actually ink. That made sense as the diary absorbed whatever Harry had tried to write in it out of curiousness. Suddenly then a slimy smokey explosion took place throwing Harry off of his foot but he did manage to catch the monstrous facial form the smoke had made for a moment before dissipating away.

Bart pulled him up with a grunt as Harry looked at the remains of the diary. "Is it done?" he asked.

Bart did a check with his wand and nodded. "It is," he said before turning to look at Harry. "So, want to do the next one?" he asked.

"You sure?" Harry asked.

"Can't hurt to try," he replied. "Besides, there might be times when you will have to do it."

Harry looked at the diadem before taking the dagger in his hand. "So I just stab it?" he asked.

"As hard as you can," Bart said with a smile.

Harry walked towards the diadem and stopped near it, looking down at it and already feeling the compulsion to wear it but he soon shook it off. His mental shields were a lot stronger than those compulsions as Harry's grip tightened around the dagger's handle before he stabbed it on the diadem with a scream. Another explosion of smoke and slime followed by an ear shattering scream saw the diadem's center stone forming a very fine crack. Bart verified that the horcrux inside it had indeed been destroyed.

"That was something," Harry said.

"It was," Bart said. "Also it looks like Voldemort has already fused with one of his horcruxes. That puts him on a whole new level in terms of power. Add to that the fact that he did countless power enhancement rituals when he was still a mere mortal only makes him more dangerous."

"Which horcrux did he fuse with?" Harry asked.

"My guess is either his snake or the one that was in Wormtail," Bart said.

"There was no one but Peter there that night who was alive after the explosion," Harry said. "But didn't Peter die?"

"Voldemort dug him out," Bart said. "I checked the muggle public cemetery. His body wasn't there."

"Right now he has his snake with him as well," Harry said. "Also he knows the location of at least two more horcruxes so there's no telling when he will fuse with another one."

"We can only hope that Sirius comes up with something," Bart said. "Hopefully he will annul Bella's marriage to Rodolphus and can get his hands on her vault."

"What about the others?" Harry asked.

"The others aren't my problem as of yet," Bart said. "With Peter's extraction Voldemort is now sure that you are not his horcrux. Which means he will target you once he's capable of moving. Even that is fine. Dumbledore can't know this though."

"The fact that I never was a horcrux," Harry said nodding his head. "He needs to be kept in the dark. But I don't understand why?"

"To keep his nose off of other important things," Bart said. "You remember when I told you about that story?"

"Don't scare me like that, Bart," Harry said.

"There was no way in hell that Voldemort would have been able to know that ritual to fuse with one of his horcruxes," Bart said. "I investigated it all…I am afraid I have to confer to my findings and declare that her presence is finally upon this world…again."

"This is not how it was supposed to have happened," Harry said, his voice shaking a little bit.

"I am still looking for clues and evidences as to who released her," Bart said. "My promise won't be fulfilled if she has returned. You know that better than anyone!"

"I am the only one who knows that!" Harry said. He took in a breather before calming himself. "Sorry," he said. "So if we are to assume that she is back then how do we fight back?"

"That is the point," Bart said with an amused look. "We can't."

00000

"You felt it, didn't you?" she said. "Twice."

"They will pay!" Voldemort shouted as the underground cave rumbled from his anger. He had long healed himself from the ritual that had fused one of his horcruxes back to him and he had never felt like this before. Even a hundred power enhancing rituals weren't compared to what he was feeling right now. He couldn't wait to do it again. He wondered how powerful he would be after another one of these. He looked at his familiar who curled into the corner, fear clear in her eyes. He smiled fondly at her. "Don't you worry, Nagini," he hissed. "You have been with me during every hard times of my life. I will not sacrifice you for my personal gain."

"Lying to your familiar is a crime according to magic," she said.

"No one asked you," Voldemort said scathingly as he looked at her. "I will never let anyone…not even myself hurt Nagini."

"You're saying that now," she said, "but power is a very different thing. It corrupts the one who's wielding it and if you can't overcome that corruption within yourself you will lose everyone close to you and you will be the reason for that."

Voldemort didn't say anything as he just looked at his snake. He wondered if she was right.

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A month had passed since Harry and Bart had destroyed two of Voldemort's horcruxes when Harry received another letter from Sirius telling him the news. He immediately flooed over to his place where Sirius and Bart were already waiting for him. Remus was off dealing with some of Sirius' family businesses. It was better to not involve him as he always possessed a problem of revealing things to Fenrir – the werewolf who had bit him as a child – as being his alpha. Remus himself had told them not to trust him with sensitive information as he would be forced to speak in front of Fenrir despite the fact that he didn't want to. They all agreed on that.

"Took you some time," Harry said as soon as he apparated into the living area of the manor as Sirius hugged him close.

"You know what, these family meetings aren't easy!" Sirius said. "Although ii didn't see Bella at all but it sure took some time to annul her marriage. Rodolphus sure has a long line of political people backing him up but they are sure not as old as the Black house. Crazy Bella is officially no longer married and also she is no longer a member of the house Black. There you go." Sirius handed him her vault key which Harry looked closely before giving it back to him.

"So, the cup?" Harry asked looking at Bart.

"All I can give you is a mental image of that artifact because since I am not a Black I will not be able to get inside the vault," Bart said. "The magic will prevent me. it will have to be you alone to collect that cup for us and I don't think I need to remind you that there will be traps laid across the vault especially near and on that cup."

"You don't have to worry about that," Harry said as he patted Sirius' back. "I will be guiding him through it."

Sirius raised his brows as he looked at his godson in mock surprise but didn't say anything. He knew Harry had proven himself to be a very capable young man and he still surprised the adult and Sirius often wondered what else Harry could shock them with. He was also concerned for his safety though. "You sure you will be fine?" he asked looking at him.

"Seriously, you're still asking me that?" Harry said rolling his eyes. "You don't have to worry about me, Sirius. I was raised by him." Sirius looked at Bart.

"I don't know what you made him but I like this godson of mine," Sirius said with a grin.

"Happy to help," Bart said with a dramatic bow.

"Let's get to it, then?" Sirius asked and Harry nodded before the two of them apparated away. Bart had given them a mental image of what the cup looked like.

Sirius and Harry apparated in front of the magical bank and entered. Some customers looked at them but they ignored them all and straightaway went over to Sirius' vault manager who then took them over to Sirius' newly acquired vault which formerly belonged to Bellatrix. Using the key he opened the vault and cast a revealing charm to see that it was filled with booby traps and also some nasty curses.

Disabling some at the entrance Sirius stepped in, removing the blood protection charm on the vault to let Harry in as well who then used his magic to scan and remove all of the hidden curses inside the vault. Sirius was utterly impressed but knew praising his godson could come later. They had more important objective in front of them at the moment.

Both of them immediately recognized the cup which was placed high on the shelf on the opposite end of the vault. Clearly the summoning spell wouldn't work as Harry and Sirius had already tried that. They had to do it manually and Sirius didn't like the idea but they had no other choice.

Climbing over to some of the huge piles of gold and silver Harry managed to reach the horcrux but knew better to touch it with bare hands. He summoned some parchments which were inside the vault and contained some accounts information related with the vault's transaction and used them to pick up the horcrux before coming out of the bank and apparating back over to the manor where they destroyed it without any delay.

00000

When Voldemort felt the third wave hit him he knew time was running close and he needed to hurry. This was why he was currently in front of the cave where he had hidden the locket which once belonged to Salazar Slytherin himself. He remembered getting his hands on that locket after a great deal of patience, his longest ever yet as he had to work under an old couple in order to gain their trust first. Once he had and once they were sure of him they had one day given him charge of their artifact shop which he used to steal the locket and then vanish forever. He could've easily killed the couple but he was very young back then and didn't want anyone to notice his presence that much.

But that wasn't the case now. The whole world feared him and they had reason for that. Unfortunately for the entire world he was still dead and he intended to keep it that way. He would make an entry like no other once he had his hands on the remaining horcruxes. Once he had achieved that he would seek out that little brat and get to know his secret. He had seen that child that night in his mudblood mother's hands. That crazy lady had killed herself and the entirety of her family in the hopes of defeating him. There was no way that child could've survived that explosion.

He entered the cave and picked up the locket to look at it for a minute. It had been some time since he had held it in his hands. "Still beautiful," he said as he caressed the stone at the center of it before wearing it around his neck. He then conjured a copy of that locket and then placed it in its place before increasing the security and traps in and around the cave tenfold. Whoever was after them would definitely cone here and then they will regret it.

On his way back he encountered some wizards who didn't recognize him s=because of his host body which he used as his advantage and used a trick he had been taught by her to suck out the cores of those wizards. It really was something as he felt a new life coursing through his veins as he apparated over to his place to do another fusion ritual with his second horcrux. He already had the ring with him and Nagini as well. Of seven of the horcruxes three had been destroyed, one had been fused with him and three more remained. He intended to finish it as quickly as possible. Then a new horcrux would be made and he will live forever.

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It had been over a month and Harry had decided to check whether or not the basilisk's corpse had decayed because of the spell so he was currently heading down towards the abandoned bathroom at three am in the night careful to be not seen by anyone. Half an hour later he was climbing down the stairs to the chamber but he could see it from afar that the spell had did its work. There was hardly anything of the snake that remained.

He walked towards the snake for a closer inspection. Apart from the bones nothing else remained and even the bones were being disintegrated because of the spell. He then looked over at the big head statue of Salazar and then his eyes fell on the mouth section which was also a door. It was open since last time Harry was here which was when he had come here to kill this basilisk. Throwing in a lumos spell into the mouth of the statue he saw it went rather deep inside till Harry could see the light no more. But he did manage to some stairs which looked to be going up towards the upper sections of the statue's forehead and what looked to be the direction of the eyes. It could be because the statue was easily at least the height of a six-story building if not more and he was talking the height of the muggle houses which were far taller than the magical houses.

Peeking inside the mouth his guesses were proved right as he saw three sets of stairs going towards three different directions. It also looked cozy and was rather warm and comfortable unlike the outside. Doing a simple scan of the inside of the statue Harry stepped in and took the first stairs he saw. It wasn't that high as he soon found himself in front of a closed door. He turned open the knob. The door made a rickety sound as it flung open and Harry peeked inside. There was light inside the room but he saw no windows but then his eyes fell on some light emitting runes, a very common use of runes he had seen the people of the wizarding world use in many places. Only at Hogwarts had he seen the use of fire torches as a means of dissipating light around.

Working runes meant it needed to draw power form somewhere. Considering the source couldn't be the basilisk as the basilisk was dead for over a month now Harry did a second scan and found that the runes were being powered up by the wards of the chamber itself. He had already figured it out the last time he was here that this chamber was different from the rest of the castle its wards were its own and weren't shared by the rest of the castle. But what powered those wards? Harry knew that Hogwarts had a special runes chamber where powerful runes were placed to power up the wards in and around the castle but what about this place? He looked around and didn't find anything. The room was completely empty. He did one final magical sweep just in case something would reveal itself but it didn't and so he closed the door and headed towards the second set of stairs.

This room had some furniture and looked to be a more elaborated version of a study. There was one huge bed in one corner of the room followed by an attached loo. There were racks filled with ancient looking books. That made sense. If only Salazar had been able to access this part then he would've been the last person to have used these books. But then Harry realized that Voldemort had also had access to the chamber when he was a student. All that knowledge about ancient magic and rituals…no wonder Voldemort knew all that. It was because he, too, had access to these books.

Doing a scan of the place he found that the protection spells in and around the room had dissipated long ago. This made sense as when Harry tried to read one of the books it simply disintegrated in his hands. He looked closer and that was the case of most of the books. Some who could be considered to be a bit better than the rest had a majority of their pages and covers decayed over time. A repairing spell couldn't bring back these books to life as the damage was too deep so Harry had no choice but to only crave as to know what could've been in those books.

He looked around the room and saw only one portrait which was of Salazar himself. There wasn't a portrait of anyone else. No one knew who his wife was or who his family was. There wasn't even a picture of other founders who were rumored to be very close friends with Salazar before the completion of the castle.

Finding nothing else in that room Harry left and headed for the third set of stairs which led him to a room which seemingly was infinite. It was also bright and there seemed no floor or a ceiling to it, not to mention walls on any sides. It was as if he was standing or rather floating in a limbo. This is how the ancient books had described limbo where some witches and wizards had stated being in one.

Harry turned around and saw the door was gone. He kept himself calm trying to figure out how he would get out of here. After some thinking he thought of something and closing his eyes wished for the door to appear. At once the door appeared in front of him and Harry opened it to realize it was the door through which he had come into this room. figuring how the room operated Harry wished for the door to be gone and then wished for a random book. He didn't mention the name or anything but just the nature of that book. He wished for a book on transfiguration and in front of him now lay a book on transfiguration. Its cover was blank but when he opened and read a few of its pages he realized it was a rather great book. It had everything one could learn about transfiguration from a newbie to a highly skilled witch or wizard.

Harry closed his eyes and wished for books on all of his courses and the courses he would likely be studying in the upcoming years. In total he now had sixteen books with blank covers all belonging to different areas of studies in magic. He put them in his bottomless pouch before wishing for something he thought this place couldn't provide but was shocked to see him standing in front of himself. He looked right at Harry although not in a pleasant way. It was as if he would murder Harry right now but then he softened his expressions and looked at him more carefully or rather curiously.

"You are not my descendant," he said.

"I am not, Lord Slytherin," Harry said. "I am not your descendant."

"Hmm, that explains it," Slytherin said. "No wonder why the wards didn't tell me."

"So you stored all of your memories and magically guided consciousness in here rather than in a portrait like others?" Harry asked.

"Oh, what are you talking about?" Salazar asked. "All of us do it like this." He looked at Harry's face. "They don't?"

"Probably they did in your time," Harry said. "My name is Harry Potter and I have apparently ended up finding your secret chamber."

"You didn't reveal it to anyone else, did you?" Salazar asked. Harry shook his head. "But how did you get through the barrier? It requires a parseltongue to open it and no one but my descendants or those who have my blood can have that ability, not even all of them but a few."

"I, uh…I just used a recorder rune stone and played a parseltongue line in front of the entrance and it…it opened," Harry said nervously. Salazar looked horrified.

"It's that easy?!" he almost shouted.

"But not everyone can figure it out," Harry said, trying to make him feel better but obviously it wasn't working that well. "If it makes you feel better I don't think anyone is ever going to know about this chamber of yours. It is just a legend, more of a myth actually and to be honest I don't think you have any of your blood ancestors alive anymore…well, except for one although I don't know if he'll technically be counted as alive."

"You are talking about Riddle," Salazar said.

"You know him?" Harry asked.

"Of course I do," Salazar said. "Anyone who ever stepped foot in this chamber or who is my blood related ancestor knows about its existence and I know them all. It is an ancient familial blood magic that I had performed to keep track of my future generations just in case they were diverted from their original path."

"Original path?" Harry said.

"The path of peace and harmony, of course," Salazar said. "What? Isn't that the case anymore?"

"If this power of yours allows you to read someone's conscience then you'd probably know how much peace and harmony tom really wants," Harry said.

"Oh, I knew the moment he opened the barrier to enter this place," Salazar said. "He's the one who corrupted my beloved familiar which I now know you killed." Harry looked at him apologetically. "Don't worry about it. She was already too old and was in pain. You relieved her of that pain."

"She? Old?" Harry said. "I…I thought that basilisks were practically ageless unless they died of any physical attacks or traumas or sickness."

"Basilisks are as mortal as any other creature that exists in this world, my boy," Salazar said. "Nature has some rules and no one can escape from those rules. Mortality and a definite age is one of those rules."

"So…So how old do basilisks really get?" Harry asked.

"They can live up to twelve hundred years old," Salazar said. "Although my familiar was made to experience pain when Tom tried to take control of her forcibly. Do you know what a familiar magical creature is, Harry?"

"A familiar magical creature is one that bonds with its master's core," Harry said. "And that allows that creature to be attached and be controlled by its master's upcoming descendants."

Salazar nodded his head. "He abused that ability of the familiars," he said. "He wanted to take full control of her and use her for his own personal gains and although there exists no law to stop anyone from doing such vile things with their familiars but who does that? It was especially hard for me to watch her go through all that pain but I couldn't help her. All that torture and brutality he showed to her injured her and gave her an incurable pain. Since no potions or magic works on basilisks and since it wasn't healing by itself it meant she had it for life. You relieved her of that pain and I thank you for it. Also she wasn't herself because of that pain and she was an impending danger just waiting to explode."

Harry didn't know what to say so he kept quiet. He had lots of questions he wanted to ask this projection.

"I see you have a lot of questions," Salazar said.

"You…You can read my mind?" Harry asked immediately raising his mental shields to their maximum.

"As long as anyone is inside this chamber I can read every though of their but I also respect their privacy. It is just part of the construction of this chamber so I can't help it," he said. "Also no matter how strong your occlumency shields are you can't escape from it either. I am quite fascinated by your true self though but like I said I won't be probing you into telling me why you are doing this."

"I would appreciate that," Harry said. "Can any of your descendants know from your ability of reading others' thoughts?"

"They can't," Salazar said. "But you have intrigued me, my boy."

"You said you wouldn't probe," Harry said.

"I know," Salazar replied. "And as such I will respect your privacy. So, if you have questions you may ask them."

"Okay," Harry said. "We were taught that you had gotten into a dispute with the other three founders towards the end of this castle's construction. I wanted to know what happened because to me you don't seem to be the kind of person they said in the history books."

"It sounds like I am giving an interview," Salazar muttered. "No, Harry," he said a bit loudly. "I never had any disagreements with any of the other founders. We were close friends till the day we all died. I don't know who wrote your history books but they are wrong. I wonder why they'd do that though."

"You also said that witches and wizards…back in your days didn't have a portrait made of them but had something like…this this to store their consciousness before they died," Harry said, waving his hand around the place. "Does this mean this castle also has places like this where one can find a stored consciousness of the other founders?"

"I don't know about that," Salazar said. "During my time storing one's consciousness was considered to be a huge thing mostly because of this," he said pointing to where they were standing. "This setup requires a lot of magical power to keep it alive and in order to do that we had to depend on a really huge amount of raw magical power which generally was given by the very person whose consciousness was to be stored. Once that person died their bodies would be made to undergo a really slow decaying process so as to provide power to the runes to run his consciousness."

"So does that mean…you…"

"That's right," Salazar said. "I was buried here, right under this giant head statue of mine. Not many know that as I had them into a magical contract…the people who knew this secret of mine and the founders weren't among them because they were too powerful individuals to be kept in a bind of a contract. Anyways, that's how it was in my time."

"So…so the entire ward that is around this place is…is coming off of your dead body?" Harry asked Salazar nodded. "Lord Slytherin, that's way more powerful than the wards of the castle! How can that be possible?"

"It is possible because the castle's wards are not what it used to be," Salazar said in a serious tone.

"What do you mean?" Harry asked.

"Your doubts about how this chamber's wards could be more powerful than the wards of the castle of Hogwarts is exactly right because the castle had a lot more powerful ward back in the day," Salazar said. "It all changed when he became the headmaster."

"Who?" Harry asked.

"Albus Dumbledore," Salazar said. "I don't know how but just like you he once came into this chamber. Due to the wards around this place my consciousness was immediately notified. Although he could never find my familiar or this place but he did manage to tap into the wards of this place when he tapped into the wards of Hogwarts. Because of the intentions that I felt in his head that day I used whatever power I had to barred him from this chamber. He's been trying to get in since then but that is not the problem."

"What is?" Harry asked.

"He's feeding off of the castle's wards, Salazar said. "The fact that this chamber has its own wards but is directly underneath the castle makes the wards of those two link at some point and it is because of that linkage that I was able to figure out that Dumbledore was feeding off of the castle's wards."

"If that's true then it makes sense why he won't leave his post for headmaster even when he's been offered way big and influential posts before," Harry said. Salazar looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "He's been offered the post of the minister of magic itself countless times, not to mention the head of the education board and a very important chair-member spot on the international confederation of wizards but he would not leave his headmaster's spot. That's because he's feeding off of Hogwarts' wards using that position as it gives him access to the castle's rune chamber."

"If that's what you think but he is feeding off of the castle's wards," Salazar said. "And it won't be long when he starts feeding off of this place as well. No one realizes it but the wards of the castle are way too weak to withstand a combined attack of over a hundred people…if someone tried to do that that is."

Harry couldn't believe that. No wonder Dumbledore was so powerful. Anyone would be that powerful if they were to feed off of such raw magic. "But…But wouldn't his body disintegrate taking in such raw magic directly?" Harry asked.

"Magicals are more flexible to adapt to things," Salazar said. "He's been absorbing very little a time to keep a constant flow of magic into himself. Over the years his body adapted and so he increased the dosage. Now he's absorbing at the rate that would kill at least ten people easily but his body and core has adapted to such an intake of raw magical power and not to mention a huge credit for that goes to the power he stole from the castle itself. That man is even more vile than Tom when it comes to increasing one's powers."

"But can't you do anything?" Harry asked.

"My wards are connected with the castle but it is so very mild," Salazar said. "It won't matter because I wouldn't be able to do anything. Even if by some chance my wards are linked more so with that of the castle then I am just a consciousness. It would be highly doubtful if I will be able to do anything even then and if he gets a glimpse of that then he would start feeding off of mine as well."

Harry nodded, understanding the risk in that. He couldn't take it. He knew how to link two wards together but of this intensity it would rip his core apart which would mean he would die. He couldn't risk it. Not a hundred people could risk it together. It was way too much raw power to be handled by them.

"We have to do something though," Harry said. "It's not like absorbing magic would make him grow old. We all know that the stronger the core is the slower that wizard age. That's a proven medical fact and that would mean Dumbledore's core is ripping powerful at the time so he will age a lot slower than normal wizard lifespan. Which could mean that he might live for another fifty years at least. By that time he would've stole a lot more power than what he's stealing now and then there would be no stopping it."

"There's probably no stopping him now," Salazar said. "Magically you can't compare yourself to him even I can say that. I measured your potential and while it is a lot higher than normal you are still nothing compared to Dumbledore."

Harry didn't know that. It created a new problem which Bart needed to know as soon as possible. If it came down to a face-to-face duel Harry was sure he would not be able to win against Dumbledore in that. He might've more agility than the old man but Dumbledore's years of experience and add to that the fact that he was almost as strong as the wards of Hogwarts would mean Harry's death.

Bart needed to know this. He would know what to do. This was a new problem Harry knew no one would like to know about but it was equally important as others because Dumbledore was an integral piece in their plan and his stopping needed them to figure out a way to stop this problem first or else they would get to nowhere.

Harry hated this. He truly and really hated this.

**00000**

**A/N: Thanks for reading…**

**Also, I've been notified of the grammatical errors in my stories. The reason for that is that I don't re-check my chapters….i just write for fun. You can have a look in my bio. I am not a serious writer so I don't bother re-checking my grammar. As you'd have noticed that English isn't my first language. Be that as it may I apologize if you had problems reading my stories…Also, whatever errors I can find and manage too fix is during typing on Word Doc…I fix whatever mistakes and errors it shows me…**


	18. Chapter 18

Voldemort climbed out of the cauldron dripping in the slimy potion. His hands were trembling and he was in pain unlike he had ever been before. After weeks of preparations he had finally did it. Save for three horcruxes that had been destroyed he now was fused back with four of his horcruxes. When the liquid inside the cauldron bubbled up he turned to look at his familiar Nagini's corpses floating in it. he had done it and he hadn't felt anything for that.

Stepping out of the cauldron he saw her smiling down at him. "Congratulations, Tom," she said slowly as a black robe appeared and covered Voldemort's glory. "You should be proud that you took in the pain."

"It was a necessary pain," Voldemort said with a smile as he looked at her. He had fused over with the body of his host and now didn't need his original one. There was a very good reason for that. This current body had adapted to Voldemort's newfound powers and if he were to ritualize in order to get his original body back then that body will not be able to handle his new powers.

As he tested his powers he couldn't believe the level he was at compared to what he was an year ago. This was a whole new him and he liked it.

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Harry looked in the map. Dumbledore was in the runes room which served as the root power source of the wards around the castle. The old man chose the nighttime to do his dirty work. With all that raw magic that he took in he literally didn't need any sleep. He had received Bart's letter that morning related to the issue and Bart had told him to just stay put. If Dumbledore was clever enough to feed off of the wards' raw magical power then there might be a chance that he had linked his own magic into the wards.

If that were to be true then it would mean that Dumbledore could possibly track and know anyone's position inside the castle. It was as if he was the marauders' map only much more accurate and far more powerful. To take this into consideration it meant that Dumbledore knew Harry's each and every move. Then why hadn't he taken any steps? What was is that Dumbledore was actually after? Was he not doing anything because he saw no threat to him feeding off of the wards?

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Dumbledore finished off of feeding from the wards as he let out a sigh. An hour of rest would be plenty to feel recharged after the tedious session of taking in lots of raw magical power. Closing the door to the runes room he smiled. The fact that Harry had a way to access the chambers meant he could feed off of Salazar's personal quarters now. It had definitely taken him some time to find the link. It was barely there but it was and Dumbledore was glad that he had found it just in time. It seemed that Harry had apparently discovered the chamber not long ago from whatever he could gather from Harry's basic memories it seemed that Harry had also communicated with Salazar's conscience.

However he hadn't found out how that brat had entered the chamber. Dumbledore knew the entrance lied in the abandoned girls' bathroom but he couldn't find it. He couldn't corner Harry over it either. That boy was smart. He had been ahead of him each time but the ultimate win would be Dumbledore's and not Harry's.

Perhaps a little demonstration would be needed for the boy to see who was in real authority here. All Dumbledore had to figure out was how.

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Bart could not believe this. If this was true then perhaps Dumbledore knew what he had seen that night in the graveyard of Godric's Hollow. Bart cursed. It was foolish of him to not re-check whether or not his memory spell had worked completely or not. With that much raw magical power irrespective of the fact that it was stolen – it gave Dumbledore enough resistance to automatically develop an immensely powerful mental shield and also a near perfect immunity to most basic spells.

Bart hated the fact that he couldn't check it for himself. It was easy last time but even that, he wondered, if Dumbledore had let him do it. Did Dumbledore really knew who he was? It would be bad if he did and then everything will perish.

There was no doubt about the fact that Dumbledore knew her. She was the only one who had the knowledge of what Dumbledore was doing. With whatever Bart had found from his investigations he could confirm that Dumbledore was in contact with her and if he was in contact with her then that meant he was in contact with Voldemort. The later was confirmed to be in contact with Dumbledore but through an intermediary? This was bad.

Voldemort had already fused with the remaining horcruxes. Also he knew that Harry wasn't one of his horcruxes now and now that Dumbledore's revelation had come to light it seemed even more difficult to make things right again. Bart threw the cup that was in his hand as it shattered on contacting the tiled floor. The house elf appeared wondering what had happened but didn't say anything seeing Bart's expressions. It simply cleaned the broken cup and served Bart another cup of tea before disappearing.

"What are you playing at?" Bart muttered as he looked at the wall in front of himself.

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"Are you alright?"

Harry didn't reply but seeing a hand snapping fingers in front of him did bring him out of his train of thoughts as he stopped immediately. "What?" he asked looking at Draco.

"I said are you alright?" Draco asked. "You've been looking lost since morning today. Is everything fine?"

"Just some house matters," Harry said.

"Oh," Draco said obviously not believing him.

"They should take it easy, you know," Hermione said. "They should understand that you're still twelve years old and not to burden you with stuff which adults normally handle."

"None of that matters to anything to an emancipated minor," Neville said. "The test for emancipation is both blood and mentality related. If it is proved that the person is incapable to handle toe responsibilities then they fail the test."

"Who decides whether or not one fails?" Hermione asked.

"The person's own magic," Draco said. "Our magic has their own conscience. If it is proved that one's capable enough to handle it all then they automatically pass the test."

"So then what just push that person into the wild world of adults?" she asked.

"If one claims to be in requirement of emancipation," Harry said, "they express their decision so in the influence of the truth serum. Since the truth serum's effects can't be seen as invalid it ensures that the person is adamant or is required to gain his or her emancipation. The reason for that is not asked however the person can willingly present evidences to his or her request to be emancipated to make things clear on their end. Once that is done all they have to do is give a blood test and have a measure of their mental understanding. There is a…a mechanism of sort which takes in all this and then it is what determines whether or not that person is able to handle the emancipation responsibilities. The paperwork is done before all that though."

"So a magical machine decides whether or not one gains emancipation?" Hermione asked. The three boys nodded.

"Emancipation is one of the very few things that the magical society still takes very seriously," Neville said. "It is done so because many pureblood noble families require to do this just in case they happen to die and so in their absence their children will run their empire. Also it secures the political seats so this is one thing the ministry doesn't intervene in and what you said 'the machine' decides whether or not one is capable to be emancipated."

Hermione nodded. She knew she couldn't find these things in a book. She needed to either be working in the ministry or be form a pureblood family. She knew the last one wasn't a possibility for her but the first one could be. A good position in the ministry could mean many opportunities for her and many chances for her to prove herself.

Draco watched Harry closely with the corner of his eyes. There was definitely something else going on rather than the normal house politics. If Harry, however, didn't want to share it with him then it was his choice. Perhaps he had still not come to trust him fully or it was a personal matter. Either way Draco wasn't going to poke him about it. If Harry wanted he could tell him. If he didn't then he may not.

Returning back to the castle they went to their separate dorms and quarters as it was a weekend tomorrow and they all wanted to rest a little bit after today's classes. Assignments were laid to rest for the next day as everyone had decided they will enjoy this nice evening taking a stroll around the castle after dinner. Harry had planned to use his map and the cloak for this and the three had happily agreed.

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Dumbledore knew he was taking a risk going into the abandoned bathroom as Harry could easily track him using his map but he didn't care less. If it could make Harry come to him by himself then it would be welcomed by Dumbledore – let the boy come to him by himself and then Dumbledore will make him spill his secrets.

As expected Harry had seen Dumbledore in the abandoned bathroom but not others had so Harry folded that part of the map away so as to not let others see it. it would raise questions what the headmaster of Hogwarts was doing this late in an abandoned girls' bathroom. A pervert grandpa was everyone's image whenever they saw a cynical old man but this was Dumbledore. If people came to know Dumbledore had gone over to the abandoned bathroom rumor will spread and there wasn't a shortage of daring students here in the castle. If that happens one way or another someone will figure something out and then there was a possibility that the chamber might be discovered by someone else.

They instead took a different, a longer route to the astronomy tower. Since it was a clear night with stars and a crescent moon up in the sky they would enjoy the beauty from the tallest place of the castle.

And it was all worth it as the beauty was indescribable. The black lake reflected back the shine of the stars making it look as if it had diamonds floating on the surface. Since it had rained slightly during dinner time the tiny drops on the grass also shone beautifully. It was a scene to remember for.

"In the coming future when we grow up and look back at our days at Hogwarts please make sure to remember this time and place we are at right now," Hermione said slowly. "This is a beautiful moment that I will never want to forget."

"I can make that promise," Draco said. Hermione smiled looking at him.

"I can, too," Harry said.

"So will I," Neville said. "Collin would've definitely taken a picture if he were with us right now."

"Oh, even thinking about that boy gives me chills," Harry said.

"Because he's a fan of yours?" Hermione asked.

"An over-enthusiastic fan," Harry replied. "Plus I don't like any unnecessary attention and a boy tailing you with a giant camera does exactly that."

"He's just a fan," Neville said. "Don't be rude about him. I am sure he will understand if you talk to him about it."

Harry nodded, understanding as he looked at the beautiful night scenery ahead of him. Hermione was right. It did take some load off of his head. "We should do this often," he said.

"Can't deny that," Draco said. Others nodded as well.

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When Narcissa Malfoy found Sirius in her living area she looked at her husband who simply ignored her. She knew he had been in contact with her cousin but to bring him home was the most unthinkable thing Lucius had done.

"Wouldn't you welcome him, Narcissa?" Lucius said looking at the window.

"To think that you will bring him here is unbelievable!" she replied without even looking at either Sirius or Lucius.

"Seems the marriage is as good as I remember," Sirius said jokingly as he looked at his cousin and his expressions softened. "How are you Narcissa?"

"You do not talk to me!" she said scathingly. "I know what you did with my sister!"

"She kind of deserved it," Sirius replied. "Besides, I did it for our good."

"You still think you can run after betraying him to this extent then you're wrong," she said looking at her husband. "You're the one who said he wasn't gone and now you are planning against him! Haven't you thought about our son?"

"I have," Lucius said. "And that is why I am doing this…and for you, too." Narcissa looked at him. "I know how much you hate it but even more so you are scared as I have seen you…all those years ago whenever the dark lord used to call meetings? I still remember those looks the death eaters gave you whenever you walked into the room. I don't think you would know how much pain it gave to me seeing that horrendousness and still not be able to do anything about it…in my own house!" Narcissa stepped back at the outburst as Sirius looked at Lucius with a serious expression. "I have thought about our son…I have thought about you," he said slowly. "This is why I am doing this. With this…With this we have a chance and you know what?"

Narcissa saw as Lucius threw them on the table in front of her. Her eyes widened as she looked at them. "Are…Are those…?"

"Yes," he replied. "And yes, what you see in front of you is the truth. These artifacts are no longer the dark lord's horcruxes. Black promised to help us and he has proven his worth with the evidence."

"Worth?" Sirius asked in a low volume but obviously he was ignored by the couple so he stayed quiet.

"I know what I did puts us all in a life threatening risk but if we get out of this then that freedom is forever," Lucius said. "We would no longer have to worry about our son's safety. I would no longer have to worry about you. Seeing that," he said pointing at the three artifacts, "has made me sure that we can bring down the dark lord once and for all and I am willing to risk it all on that even though I know I shouldn't be doing it. He has come a long way. Would you like some tea, Sirius?"

"Uh, sure," Sirius said. An elf popped up carrying a tray placing it beside Sirius' couch. Sirius took a tentative sip from his cup before quietly putting it down on the saucer. It was awkward watching his cousin and her husband having that type of conversation. So he stayed quiet. He thought it was better to not speak unless asked to.

"If word gets out that we betrayed the dark lord and his ideals then…then Draco will be targeted in Hogwarts," Narcissa said.

"Word won't get out," Lucius said.

"Who told you that?" she asked. "You can't say that for sure! Destroying those horcruxes would've definitely alerted the dark lord…wherever he is and he will take measures to remove this problem! He knows he gave you the diary. He knows that that diary is now no longer carrying his horcrux and he will come to you for that!"

"He won't," Sirius said grabbing their attention. They both looked at him as Sirius put down his cup and saucer on the table and slowly stood up. "He won't harm you. I give you my word on that."

"Oh, you think you can protect us from him?" she said. "The dark lord?"

"I don't," Sirius said. "But what I can promise you is that Draco will be safe and we will do everything in our power to help protect you here. All you have to do is repay us."

"As absurd as that sound I would like to hear the payment that you ask for," she said.

"All we ask of you and your husband in return is an aid of your resources and connections," Sirius said. Narcissa looked at him confused. "You and your husband have connections with a lot of pureblood families who've fought on the wrong side up until now. All we ask from you is to convince them to either not participate in the fight or change sides. I hope you can do that?" he looked at Lucius.

"I will do my best but I can't make any promises," Lucius replied.

"I am not asking you to make you any promises," Sirius said. "Just do what you can. And also please don't let Fudge interfere with any of our plans. We all know he's a coward and will do anything to avoid a panic situation so it's better that he doesn't get wind of what it is that is happening."

"What is happening?" Narcissa asked.

Lucius stayed quiet while Sirius sighed loudly. He looked at her with an expressionless face as he said, "Voldemort has returned."

**00000**

**A/N: Thanks for reading…**


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